‘Like Where His Head Is at’: 76ers’ Veteran Dwight Howard Has High Praise for Rookie Tyrese Maxey

The Philadelphia 76ers kicked off their pre-season on Tuesday with a win against the Boston Celtics. The new look Philly side looked great against the Celtics and the usual suspects Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons did not disappoint.

Their 21st pick of the 2020 draft Tyrese Maxey certainly made a statement with his performance. He impressed NBA fans and also veteran teammate Dwight Howard.

Howard said, “I really like the young fella. I thought he was kind of moving a little bit too fast, so I pulled him to the side and told him ‘slow down’ . . . I really like where his head is at.”

Maxey had a solid performance. He scored 8 points and had 3 assists in only 12 minutes in the game. He also played majority of the minutes in the fourth quarter, making this performance very impressive.

What can the 76ers expect from Tyrese Maxey?

Maxey was one of the underrated gems in the 2020 draft class. He played for the University of Kentucky and averaged close to 14 points, 3.2 assists, and 4.3 rebounds in 31 games.

Maxey does lack in 3-point shooting but makes up for it in his speed and playmaking. He has potential beyond what his statistics and averages suggest.

Defensively the 20-year-old has massive potential. Although he is 6’3, he has a wingspan of 6’7. In college he often guarded the opposition’s shooting guard, who were bigger than him.

He was projected to be in the top 20 picks of the 2020 draft, but fortunately for the 76ers he ended up being the 21st pick of the draft. Maxey with his performance against the Celtics has guaranteed himself more minutes.

Maxey showed great shooting ability shooting 4-6 in the paint scoring 8 points. He looked comfortable with the ball and showed his finishing capability on the basket. He has shown that he is a more than capable backup guard for Simmons.