Tyrese Maxey's Changed Mindset Led to Big Fourth Quarter vs. Hawks

On Friday night, the Philadelphia 76ers found themselves in a tight matchup with the Atlanta Hawks. Thanks to a strong performance from Tyrese Maxey in the final 12 minutes, they were able to pull away and secure a victory.

Heading into the fourth quarter, Maxey was having a rather quiet night. However, he managed to come alive in a big way to end with a good performance. Maxey logged close to 11 minutes in the final quarter and finished with 16 points on 4-for-6 shooting from the field and 7-for-from the free-throw line.

In total, Maxey finished with 30 points and seven assists in the win over the Hawks. Following this strong outing, multiple members of the team gave him high praise.

When speaking to the media after the game, Maxey opened up on what changed for him heading into the fourth. He felt he was being too passive early on and went into the final stretch with the goal of being more assertive.

"I just wanted to be extremely aggressive. I didn’t like how I played at the beginning of our second unit stint in the second quarter. I felt like I was just out there and I wasn’t aggressive, I wasn’t demanding the ball, and I wasn’t going to let that happen twice," Maxey said. "So it was better at the beginning of the fourth, got a quick break, and then got to go back in and hit a big shot, and make some free throws, and get some stops, and we won. So that is great."

Over the past two years, Maxey's aggressiveness is something that's been a big topic within the Sixers. It's grown even more this season, as the rising star is now the second option behind Joel Embiid. Even though he's running the offense, the team operates at its best when he's aggressively looking for his shots.

Finding the proper balance is something Maxey continues to work on, and the awareness he showed on Friday is a step in the right direction.