Paul George stuns fans with comments about Tyrese Maxey

“He’s special.” Sometimes, when there is too much nuance, too much to say succinctly, too many emotions, the simplest explanation is the most effective.

“Special” was the word Paul George used when describing Tyrese Maxey and his recent performances for the Philadelphia 76ers, and we all know exactly what he means.

Maxey, who has never been an All-Star, is putting up numbers along with the best this season: 32.5 points per game, 7.8 assists, shooting 42 percent from 3-point range, and nearly five rebounds per night sit him comfortably in the bracket of elite stars in the NBA that can do it all with ease. A few days later, the guard scored a career-high 54 points to lead the Sixers to a 123-114 overtime win against Milwaukee.

“This is similar to what Allen Iverson once did for the city”

“He’s the heart and soul of this team,” George gushed to The Athletic, “this is similar to what Allen Iverson once did for the city. He’s our battery, and we’re witnessing one of them ones.”

“I thought he had a phenomenal year last year, but it got lost in the season that we had as a team,” he added, “because of that, people didn’t really talk about him heading into this season. But, when you watch him just take over games and get us timely buckets, it’s special to see. We’re asking him to do so much. We’re asking him to play a ton of minutes and he’s delivering."

A ton of minutes is about right. Maxey is averaging around 40 minutes per game; with the 76ers recurring injury list an evergreen concern, his durability will undoubtedly be put to the test throughout the campaign. “It’s evident how much we need him,” Nurse admitted. “The minutes are going to be there. They are going to be at around 40. He’s got to carry the load. That’s what we ask him to do, and he’s figured it out.”

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The Philadelphia 76ers are 8-6 so far this season, and are 6th in the Eastern Conference. Their next games comes against the Miami Heat, at Wells Fargo Center, on Sunday.

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