Seth Curry Sees Long-Term Potential in Sixers Rookie Tyrese Maxey

Following a one-year stint at the University of Kentucky, Tyrese Maxey expected to be a lottery pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Considering many projected Maxey to go earlier than the Philadelphia 76ers' 21st overall pick, the young guard was hardly linked to the Sixers ahead of draft night.

However, Maxey slid down the board and was available at pick No. 21. Wasting no time, Daryl Morey, Elton Brand, and Doc Rivers decided to pull the trigger on drafting the Freshman guard after his solid season.

Although Maxey's rookie season has been filled with ups and downs as he's seen himself in and out of the rotation, he never got discouraged. Maxey understood that since he's on a championship-competitive team such as the Sixers, he isn't always going to garner significant minutes.

So, the rookie kept working and stayed ready. While he's still battling for minutes as the playoffs are here, Maxey has earned the respect of his peers. On Tuesday, following the Sixers' first practice since the postseason started, veteran guard Seth Curry had heavy praise for the young guard.

“I love Tyrese, man,” Curry said. “The way he has a good balance of humbleness and trying to learn and a great work ethic and at the same time, he’s really confident. In practice, he listens to us. He’s working hard, and when we get out there in a scrimmage as a team, he competes with the starters and the veterans like he belongs, and that shows when he gets in the game on the court. He’s gonna be good for a long time.”

Maxey has tons of room to develop his game, but his progress in year one has already impressed his teammates and the Sixers' coaching staff. As his humbleness won't allow him to get too overly confident, resulting in him remaining hungry and willing to work wherever whenever, Maxey has shown to his elder teammates that he's got what it takes to have a long and successful career in the NBA.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.