76ers All-Star Tyrese Maxey Lands Major Praise From Kevin Durant

Tyrese Maxey earned the opportunity to compete in his first All-Star game on Sunday night in Indiana. Leading up to the matchup, the young Philadelphia 76ers star earned some major praise from one of the biggest names in the game.

Phoenix Suns veteran Kevin Durant has been an All-Star regular since 2010. At this point in his career, Durant’s an automatic All-Star as long as he’s healthy and on the court.

However, the former 2007 second-overall pick understands that there’s a new generation of basketball players becoming the face of the game, stepping into the shoes of players like Golden State’s Stephen Curry, LA’s LeBron James, and Durant.

When Durant was asked to pinpoint the next face of the league when the guaranteed Hall of Famers hang up their jerseys, Durant rattled off a handful of guys, mentioning Philly’s young star.

“It’s a lot of guys, but you see Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander], Book (Devin Booker), Luka [Doncic], Tyrese Maxey, Tyrese Haliburton,” Durant said. “So many guys inspiring the next generation of hoopers after them to become basketball players that you can’t just pinpoint it to one or two guys. It’s about pushing the game forward, setting a different standard of how we play, and these guys are doing it right now.”

Most of the names Durant mentioned already have multiple All-Star nods on their resume. Meanwhile, Maxey was participating in the big game for the first time in his career, and he was fortunate to be the lone first-time All-Star with his name dropped by Durant.

As exciting as that may be for the Sixers, it’s not surprising. Although Maxey seemed to be a developmental pick in 2020 when he entered the draft after one season at Kentucky, Maxey’s growth throughout his first four years in the league has come at a rapid pace.

He went from averaging eight points and two assists while shooting 30 percent from three during his rookie season to putting up 26 points and six assists per game this year while becoming a 40 percent shooter from beyond the arc throughout his career.

Being that he’s just 23, the Sixers don’t expect Maxey’s presence in Sunday’s All-Star game to be a one-time thing. Knowing that they struck gold at pick No. 21 in 2020, the Sixers view Maxey as a long-term franchise player. Durant’s co-sign should help the rest of the league realize that as well.