76ers' Tyrese Maxey Reflects on Bouncing Back From Low Point

This season has been a rollercoaster for Tyrese Maxey. The third-year guard went from arguably being the third face of the Philadelphia 76ers and starting games every night to later suffering a major injury and eventually losing his spot in the starting lineup shortly after returning.

Although he reportedly accepted his new role on the bench, this change in roles started to mess with him mentally, which was only reflected in his games, with the Sixers' visit to TD Garden to take on the Boston Celtics in early February being the tipping point for the youngster.

Maxey shot a near-season-low 21 percent from the field, only beating out his 18 percent night from the week prior against the Orlando Magic. Against Boston, Maxey managed to score only six points against the reigning Eastern Conference Champions.

Recently, Maxey reflected on this low point with NBC Sports Philadelphia, saying it was tough on him but that he was more than eager to turn it around.

"After the game in Boston, where it was tough on me, I played really well at the beginning of this year," said Maxey. "New role, new stuff, life is hard, but after that, I told myself that I'd never play like that again or with that mindset on my mind and I feel like I've been pretty good ever since."

Clearly, something has changed, as the former Kentucky guard is averaging 21 points per game on an efficient 52 percent from the field, which has helped him regain his spot in Philadelphia's starting lineup.

Maxey attributes his two veteran teammates, Joel Embiid and James Harden, to helping him realize his potential and escape the mental rut he was stuck in.

"Joel and James told me that for us to be as good as we possibly can, I have to be aggressive. I can't be passive," explained Maxey, "It doesn't matter if I'm on the court with them or off the court, we're at my best when I'm doing that, so I'm gonna keep trying to do that."

Declan Harris contributes to All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him on Twitter: @DecIanH.

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