Tyrese Maxey Embraces Hard Coaching From Sixers' Doc Rivers

Every player in the NBA responds differently to different types of coaching. When the Sixers hired Doc Rivers after seven seasons with Brett Brown, the

Every player in the NBA responds differently to different types of coaching. When the Sixers hired Doc Rivers after seven seasons with Brett Brown, the organization anticipated the veteran coach to come in and make sure he gets through to players by holding them accountable and coaching them hard.

A player as young as Tyrese Maxey might not typically respond to hard coaching well. However, throughout his rookie season last year, Maxey has proven he's not your typical 20-year-old prospect as the young guard is willing to do whatever it takes to get even the slightest bit better on game night.

Maxey has garnered a more significant role this season as Ben Simmons misses time, and Shake Milton works his way back into the rotation after an injury. Through five games, Maxey has started at point guard for the Sixers. He's shown some improvements as a playmaker, but there's been growing pains as well.

Doc Rivers, who is never one to bite his tongue when it comes to his player's performances, makes sure that Maxey hears about the good -- but especially the bad when it comes to his game. And the young guard, who considers himself to be a sponge, absorbs it all in without letting the negative get to his head.

"I don't mind it because I feel like I am a student of the game," Maxey said on Thursday night following the victory over Detroit. "I go home watching the film, and I study. One thing that I am big on is debriefing. You know, once the game is over, I think Coach Cal taught me one thing; you get 24 hours to grieve. In the NBA, I give myself 12 hours to grieve cause you never know if you have a back-to-back or not, but you know you get 12 hours to grieve about the game, and then you let it go. Ty told me yesterday when I went to work out, and he said, 'You know you need to have a memory of a goldfish. A goldfish has a short-term memory,' so hey, we'll go with that."

While Maxey certainly has room for improvement, the second-year guard has shown a lot of positives in his development as an all-around playmaker. Although he might not be the long-term solution at point guard at this point in his career, the former Kentucky standout surely has a bright future ahead of him.

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