‘I think it worked out well’: Patience paid off for Tyrese Maxey and the Sixers

Patience has been a theme for Tyrese Maxey in his professional basketball life. He waited until the 21st pick of the 2020 NBA draft to hear his name called after he was a projected lottery pick out of Kentucky. Maxey made a vow that night that Philadelphia would not regret selecting him.

First, he needed to be patient. The 76ers brought him off the bench as a rookie and played him just 15.3 minutes per game. But four years later, Maxey has turned into one of the league’s budding young stars and, at 23 years old, recently signed a five-year, $204 million extension to remain in Philadelphia.

Even that deal was the product of patience. Maxey was eligible to sign an extension last summer. But pushing the move until this summer gave Maxey a smaller $13 million salary-cap hold, a number that allowed the Sixers and president of basketball operations Daryl Morey to operate more effectively this offseason. The result: a revamped roster that includes star wing Paul George and a built-out bench with veterans who have playoff experience.

“This offseason wouldn’t be possible without him,” Morey said Tuesday, when the Sixers held press conferences with Maxey and George. “He was very clearly on his way to being what he has become, an All-Star, one of the great future stars of this league, and by being patient, he allowed us to put this offseason together, to really put us in this position to be one of the very few legitimate contenders in the league this year.”

“I think it worked out well,” Maxey joked.

He had to preach the patience to others, most notably his family, when he was eligible to sign the contract extension last year. His agent, Rich Paul, used the words “patience and poise.” And Maxey said he talked frequently with Joel Embiid about the situation.

“I’m happy that we were able to do what we did this offseason, and it’s going to give us a chance to do something,” Maxey said.

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What’s next for Maxey, who won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award after averaging a career-high 25.9 points and 6.2 assists? He wants to do for others what Embiid did for him: take them under his wing and show them the way. He has, for example, texted Ricky Council IV a few times this offseason looking to work out together. As for the on-the-court stuff, Maxey said he’s working on getting stronger and continuing to develop his midrange game.

“Each year, he challenges himself, and I think that’s the hallmark of a player who is going to be one of the all-time greats,” Morey said.

The midrange development, Maxey said, is partially for the postseason. “Sometimes when you get in the playoffs you have to make a shot,” he said. But it’s also something his father, Tyrone, has always been a fan of. He loved Michael Jordan, Maxey said.

Maxey has frequently credited his parents, Tyrone and Denyse, with helping him reach his dreams.

“Any man that sits an 8-year-old down after a six-hour drive home from Louisiana [to Texas] and makes him watch two or three games of film, that man is a little … committed,” Maxey joked, Tyrone sitting in the row in the front row a few feet away.

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Toward the end of Tuesday’s press conference, Maxey was asked about the tearful promise he made to Philadelphia on draft night in 2020.

“The words that I used draft night was genuine,” Maxey said. “I meant every bit of those words.”

He then pointed to a few bracelets he wears. One reminds him to smile. Another honors his late grandmother. One is a motto Maxey uses a lot: “1% better,” which Maxey tries to do every day. And then there are two that read “LND,” which stands for leave no doubt.

“Most of those came from my dad, who is crazy,” Maxey said. “He kind of just passed it down.

“Without him, a lot of this would be impossible.”

Without patience, a lot of it wouldn’t be possible either — for Maxey and the Sixers.