Sixers rookie Tyrese Maxey has been a pro for only a few months. He may not be a complete player just yet, but there’s no question that he was ready for the Next Level from the jump.
Only 23 months removed from playing high school basketball, he’s already a ready and fearless scorer.
Maxey was a guest Wednesday on the Mike Missanelli Show on 97.5 The Fanatic, and was asked how much his one season playing for Basketball Hall of Fame head coach John Calipari helped him prepare for the NBA.
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“Kentucky as a whole, they treat you like a pro, Maxey said of his alma mater. “Coach Cal [John Calipari], he’ll ask you, ‘You want to be a pro? Then that’s how I’m gonna treat you.’ They’re not gonna force you to get in the gym, you have to want to get in the gym on your own. You have to hit up the coaches to get in the gym, it’s open 24 hours, so there are no excuses.
“Coach Cal coaches you extremely hard, and he told me from Day One, ‘I’m gonna coach you hard, because I can see the potential in you. I refuse to let it be on me if you don’t reach that potential. I’m going to make sure your maximize it while you’re here. I’m gonna get on you, and make sure I can get everything I can out of you.’”
“That’s what he did. And I felt he helps you build your self-confidence by getting in the gym and competing a practice, he really helps you get ready for the NBA.”
However you feel about John Calipari, you have to give him a nod for getting Maxey ready to hit the ground running (and shooting) as a member of the 76ers.