The Philadelphia 76ers have been on an exciting 3 game winning streak ever since James Harden suited for the franchise. In their most recent matchup, Harden and the 76ers annihilated the Knicks as they cruised to a 15 point win. Moreover, Harden would finish the game strong with 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists. Clearly, it seems as though the Harden-Simmons trade is working out well.
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DIVE DEEPER: 76ers’ James Harden Makes a Brutally Honest Admission About His Physical Shape During Brooklyn Nets Tenure
Although the rave for Harden’s 76ers performances has been strong, there is an unlikely star who has emerged for the 76ers. This is none other than Tyrese Maxey. Since Harden’s addition to the team, Maxey has averaged nearly 25 points per game while shooting 64 percent from the field. Moreover, in the game against the Knicks, Maxey hit a step-back jump shot similar to Harden. This put Twitter in a frenzy as they destroyed Ben Simmons and praised and compared the young star to Harden.
Fans Reactions to Tyrese Maxey
In light of Maxey’s strong game against the Knicks, many fans roasted Ben Simmons. They all agreed that Maxey’s performance level was higher than what they hoped from Simmons.
Maxey is everything and more we’d hope Simmons would be.
— kettlekid (@RobertWhitekett) March 3, 2022
Taking him over Brick Simmons any day of the week
— . (@BRlCKSIMMONS) March 3, 2022
Maxey > Simmons fo sho https://t.co/neFvWe6n7T
— Abin Steinfeld (@abinkbar) March 3, 2022
@BenSimmons25 sitting this year was a huge deal. It allowed @TyreseMaxey to get quality minutes and develop into a great NBA player. https://t.co/GlM5jiYpOI
— Jeff Mooney (@thejeffmooney) March 3, 2022
Tyrese Maxey has improved more in one season than Ben Simmons has his whole career
— dean 🦂 (@DeanScorpion_) March 3, 2022
Furthermore, many fans clamored to support Maxey. They praised his game and even stated funny opinions of a mentor-mentee relationship between Harden and Maxey.
— Matt (@mluko3) March 3, 2022
The 76ers is OP due to Harden coming in and you got Harden, Embiid, and now Maxey doing the infamous Harden step back!! Looking scary 👀
— YellowSponge (@DaJoker0) March 3, 2022
I watched this at least 8x already B E A U TIFUL!! https://t.co/RaJAPOuftb
— Brian Sangrey (@sangrey917) March 3, 2022
— Mohammed (@MKsa_20) March 3, 2022
Clearly, Harden’s step-back ability has been passed on to Maxey. Although the duo played well, let’s not forget Joel Embiid’s contributions. Embiid finished the game on a high with 27 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists. In fact, when you add up the points scored by the trio, they form 63.4% of the total points scored by the 76ers in that game alone. If the trio continues to perform in this manner, Philly could very much be lifting the title this season.
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Tyrese Maxey, James Harden and Joel Embiid this Season
As mentioned above, the Philly trio have been on a tear so far. In the absence of Simmons, Maxey has stepped up for the Sixers. At present, he averages 17.3 points, 4.5 assists, and 3.6 rebounds. He clearly has been a major contributor to the 76ers success. For Harden, it has clearly been a bounce-back season in terms of his scoring. Unhappy on the Nets, Harden found himself lacking confidence and becoming more of a playmaker. Now on the 76ers, Harden has centered back to his original scoring form while also being a strong playmaker and rebounder.
READ MORE: Joel Embiid Launches Scathing Attack on Ben Simmons in Rare Display of Anger
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Embiid has been on a tear this season. Averaging nearly 30 points a game, he has been a major reason for the Sixers’ success. In fact, this has been his best season yet. Additionally, he also averages 11.1 rebounds to go with the high-scoring impact. Clearly, the trio seems to be in an upward trend of performances. If this continues, then the sky is the limit. We could potentially see the Larry O’Brien Trophy in Philly.