Georges Niang Looks for Donovan Mitchell Comparisons in Tyrese Maxey

The Philadelphia 76ers found a diamond in the rough with their 2020 first-round selection. As the Sixers’ front office waited patiently to get on the clock 21 picks into the draft, they saw everything beginning to work in their favor.

University of Kentucky standout Tyrese Maxey wasn’t linked to the Sixers much in the weeks leading up to the draft. As the freshman guard was a projected lottery pick, he seemed unlikely to slide down the board and fall into the Sixers' lap.

Never say never in the NBA -- especially when it comes to the draft. 21 picks later, and Maxey got the call from Philadelphia. After getting drafted, one of the first words he said was that the Sixers would not be disappointed. Fast forward to the end of Maxey’s sophomore season, and most would say he’s not only lived up to expectations, but he exceeded them.

Maxey was in and out of Philadelphia’s rotation during his rookie year and mostly came off the bench. With the Ben Simmons saga occurring in year two, Maxey was forced into the starting lineup to start the year. As the Sixers’ season progressed, it became clear that Maxey belonged in the starting lineup.

Most of Maxey’s teammates admitted that they knew he would be good — but they couldn’t predict he would be this good heading into his second playoff run. Count first-year Sixers veteran Georges Niang as somebody who was a bit shocked by Maxey’s progression.

“I always thought Tyrese was good,” Niang said after Wednesday’s practice. “I thought he was good. I thought he was like a young guard that didn’t really understand and would just get in the game and just shoot. There was like a point after our West Coast trip where we didn’t have Joel, and there was a bunch of COVID cases, and he came back, and he had like 30 [points] in multiple games. I was like, ‘Man, this kid like really got it.’”

Niang is no stranger to seeing young players emerge at such a rapid pace. Back when he was a member of the Utah Jazz, Niang closely witnessed Donovan Mitchell, a former 17th overall pick, go from having medium expectations to becoming a multi-time All-Star.

While Niang has never thought about the fact that Maxey and Mitchell have similar paths, he discussed the similarities and differences between the two young veterans on Wednesday and mentioned that Maxey’s situation oddly might be more difficult.

“Donovan was kind of given the keys, you know? It’s his team,” said Niang. “Tyrese has to make it work with James, Tobias, Joel, and what people don’t understand is that’s a lot harder when you don’t give him the keys.

"Like, if Tyrese makes a mistake, not only is a coach going to hold him accountable, but the three other guys that he’s out there with are going to hold him accountable. Donovan, you know, it was his show, and he’s done a great job that’s not throwing any shade at him, but when you have to share the reins, it’s definitely a lot harder. So, credit to [Tyrese], he’s 21-years-old, and he’s done a phenomenal job for us.”

Maxey’s taken a lot of heat from his teammates and coaches over the last two years as the young guard’s developed growing pains like most young players, but he’s never crumbled.

“At the beginning of the year, you couldn’t hear anything else but, ‘TYRESE, WHAT THE HECK?,’" said Niang. "Then you’re like, ‘Dang, this kid is gonna fold.’ The fact that he comes in every day and continues to grind, and from what I’ve seen, his numbers look like All-Star numbers. So, why can’t that be him moving forward? He never stops working and is always eager to be coached and to learn more.”

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