NBA Legend Kevin Garnett Compliments 76ers’ Tyrese Maxey

Watching the Saturday night matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Sacramento Kings out West, NBA legend Kevin Garnett couldn’t help but take to Twitter to compliment Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey.

“Starter, off the bench… whatever,” wrote Garnett. “Tyrese Maxey is special.”

Starter, off the Bench… whatever. Tyrese Maxey is special. 🦾
— Kevin Garnett (@KevinGarnett5KG) January 22, 2023

Garnett’s comments came right around the time the Sixers were closing out their tough battle against the Kings. With four-straight wins in the bag, the Sixers looked to snag their fifth-straight victory while the Kings were working on their seventh straight.

Sacramento had an advantage, as James Harden and Joel Embiid were ruled out ahead of tip-off, but Tyrese Maxey and the rest of the Sixers made it difficult for Sacramento to pounce.

Despite gaining a 21-point lead in the first half, the Sixers’ second-half performance gave the team a significant boost on the scoreboard.

Maxey, who drew the start in the absence of Harden, scored 11 points on 4-12 shooting from the field in the first half. Once he came out for the second half, Maxey tightened up his performance and dropped 21 points in 19 minutes.

The Sixers formed a comeback and put the Kings away with a 129-127 win. Maxey finished the night with a game-high of 32 points in 41 minutes of action.

Although the guard was practically demoted to a role where he comes off the bench rather than starting, Maxey is still seeing tons of playing time as the 76ers’ sixth man — and a legend like Garnett can see the clear impact the young guard still brings to the table.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.