James Harden Believes Tyrese Maxey is in a Great Situation With Sixers

When James Harden entered the NBA as the third-overall pick in the 2009 draft, the former Arizona State standout didn't get the nod to start right away. In his

When James Harden entered the NBA as the third-overall pick in the 2009 draft, the former Arizona State standout didn't get the nod to start right away.

In his first three seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Harden found himself coming off the bench. While he carved out a solid role for himself as a sixth-man and even won the Sixth-Man of the Year award in 2012, it took a lot of hard work to get to where he is today.

Harden sees himself in Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey. While they don't have the same career path as Maxey wasn't a lottery pick and was starting by year two, Harden knows that Maxey's success early on is a result of his relentless work ethic. 

And as Harden has spent some time playing and practicing alongside Maxey over the last month, the former MVP understands exactly why Maxey has gone from a rotational piece and and out of the lineup to a full-time starter within a year.

Hard Work Pays Off

“He works,” Harden said, regarding Maxey. “So nothing surprises anyone when you work hard, you put the work in, you put the time and effort into it, you’re capable of doing anything you want and he wants it. He gets it. He just works. He listens, he has great leaders around him. So, for him to go out there and just take his shots, be confident, and listen, and he’s been doing it all year long."

A few weeks back following a matchup at home, Harden was spotted running the stairs at the Wells Fargo Center getting some conditioning in. The star guard mentioned that if he didn't do things like that, he wouldn't be the player he is. Like Harden, Maxey has spent time putting in work after games by doing shooting drills after a game or hitting the weight room for a post-game lifting session.

When the former MVP sees Maxey putting in the extra time at the team's practice facility or the arena they played in, Harden remembers his come up and is reminded why his career turned out the way it did.

“He’s extremely confident,” Harden said. “I think young guys now, you see that confidence in these young guys, they work and the games that you play won’t happen if you don’t work at it. I keep using that, but that’s like how I got to this point where I am today. Just being around some great culture guys from KD and Russ and the whole Thunder organization. They committed to that work ethic, that work habit, and I just took it through my entire career. I feel like Tyrese is surrounded by that."

Even as an accomplished star and future Hall of Famer, Harden continues to work like he's got something to prove in the NBA. Joel Embiid, who's on his way to possibly winning his first MVP accolade, continues to level up as his career progresses as well.

While Maxey didn't need to see Harden or Embiid's work ethic up close to improve his as he already had a hardworking mentality before getting drafted, the young guard is surrounded by the right seasoned veterans to keep him motivated.

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