With it appearing that Ben Simmons won’t play for the Philadelphia 76ers again, the franchise must turn to second year point guard Tyrese Maxey to take the reigns. Maxey is a young prospect with plenty of potential. His development is key to the franchise success until Simmons is dealt to another team.
Despite entering his second, it’s a critical season for Maxey to show real development. With that in mind, there are three point guards that he should try to emulate parts of their games in order to take that next step. The idea for this article came from Andy Quach of Rip City Project.
3 guards for Maxey to emulate: Jrue Holiday
Beginning with a former Sixers player is a great starting point for the young point guard. Jrue Holiday spent four seasons with the 76ers and had one All-Star appearance during that time. He was a promising young two-way point guard with Philly but his tenure with the team was too short.
However, it was after he was traded from the Sixers where Holiday saw true success. With the New Orleans Pelicans, he become one of the best defensive playmakers in the NBA. Last year was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks where he just became an NBA champion. Last season, he averaged 17.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.6 steals.
Defense is the key skill that Maxey has to learn from. Granted defense is mostly effort, which is something that Maxey has. Also, Holiday’s wingspan is outrageous for his size and that’s not something Maxey can replicate.
However, if Maxey studies film of Holiday it’s bound to help him improve on the finer techniques on that end of the court. If Maxey can become average to above average on that end of the court, it will help the 76ers’ defense immensely.