CAMDEN, NJ — The Philadelphia 76ers are gearing up for their season opener on Wednesday against the Milwaukee Bucks. Ahead of the matchup, the Sixers are unsure of the status of stars Joel Embiid and Paul George, but their third star, who has been given a clean bill of health, is ready to lead the charge with or without his costars.
After a Monday morning practice, Tyrese Maxey addressed the media and was immediately asked about the right thumb contusion he suffered in the team’s preseason finale on Friday. Maxey’s response was a confident thumbs up, signaling he was in good health and ready for the upcoming season.
Less confident is the current status of Embiid and George, but regardless of whether or not they take the court Wednesday night, it’s business as usual for Maxey, who is ready for the challenge of the new season and will lead his team in search of victory.
“Same message as always,” Maxey said. “We have to go out there and be us first, and then once you do that, then you have to adapt to what other team’s doing. I’m just ready to go out there and compete in the real basketball game and, again, get that sour taste out of our mouth from the New York series and actually get a chance to start all over again.”
The Sixers will have no easy task removing that sour taste as they welcome in the Bucks. Despite the expected absence of wing Khris Middleton, Milwaukee remains a fierce competitor, featuring big-name stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard and a big-name coach in former Sixers HC Doc Rivers.
Maxey spoke on facing his former head coach, the first he had known in the NBA.
“It’s funny,” said Maxey. “We’re about to play against Coach Doc, and Coach Doc used to always say, ‘At the beginning of the year, we pour all into it, and one team comes out victorious, and the rest of us get our hearts broken.” So I’m ready for that feeling to go out there and put it all on the line.”
Regardless of the status of his fellow stars, Tyrese Maxey is ready to lead the Philadelphia 76ers not only in this game but moving forward. The young star, proclaimed by Joel Embiid as “The Franchise,” is more than an ancillary star for Philadelphia; he is a fixture of their future.
