Doc Rivers Discusses Tyrese Maxey's Growth as a Leader

For the last few seasons, the Philadelphia 76ers employed Ben Simmons at the point guard position. Coming to Philly as the first-overall pick, Simmons earned the starting position right off the bat when he was cleared for action following a foot injury.

Now that Simmons is off the floor due to personal reasons, the Sixers have begun to develop last year's first-round selection, Tyrese Maxey, at the starting point guard position. Last season, Maxey appeared in 61 games. He started in just eight matchups and averaged 15 minutes on the floor as a rookie.

This year, Maxey's started in all 21 of Philly's games while averaging 35 minutes on the floor. Production-wise, he's been fantastic for the Sixers. As Maxey is knocking down 49-percent of his shots from the field and hitting on 38-percent of his threes, the second-year guard has put up 18 points per game.

All stats aside, though, how is the young guard performing in the leadership department for the Sixers? Hours before the Sixers' Wednesday night matchup against the Boston Celtics, head coach Doc Rivers discussed Maxey's growth as a leader.

"He's just coming on, he's learning, and he's still got a lot to learn," said Rivers. "He's never played the position in his life. He's always been a scoring guard. We call him the mini-scorer, obviously. He's been great. He's starting to call sets. He's starting to direct guys to get in the right spot. You know, that position is probably the toughest because you have to not only know yours, but you have to know everyone's spot. You have to know what you're looking for every time you run a set. It just takes time, and I'm patient with it. I'm in no hurry."

Being that he's only 21-years-old and in his second NBA season, Maxey understandably still has a lot to learn. But since the former Kentucky standout has been thrown into the fire at the beginning of the season, he's shown a lot of potential in his development from all areas, in offense, defense, and the leadership department. While he's far from a finished product, Doc Rivers and the Sixers seem more than pleased with what Maxey's put on display so far this year.

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