Ben Simmons discusses Tyrese Maxey's All-Star selection, Paul Reed
PHILADELPHIA — The matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday brought Ben Simmons back to the City of Brotherly Love. A place where he was a 3-time All-Star, All-NBA Third Teamer, and twice selected to the All-Defensive First Team.
Simmons was a star with the Sixers before things went bad in the 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals. The lasting memory of Simmons in a Sixers uniform is him passing up the dunk in Game 7 against the Atlanta Hawks before he was then traded to the Nets at the deadline in 2022.
With that being said, Simmons still has a great relationship with his former Sixers teammates. Before the Nets defeated the Sixers 136-121 on Saturday night, Simmons was delighted to discuss Tyrese Maxey after the young guard was selected as an All-Star for the first time in his career.
“He deserves it,” Simmons said of Maxey. “He puts in so much work. I’ve seen him, three years now, and he just doesn’t stop working. He’s got a great IQ, good person, I’m really happy for him. He continues to grow and really lead this team.”
Simmons has been able to make a living off being an elite distributor and making plays for others. He sees Maxey continue to take steps forward as an overall point guard as he continues to improve in his overall pace of the game.
“His pace,” Simmons explained. “He’s so quick as a small guard, but he’s pretty strong. He gets to the rim, shoots the ball really well off the dribble. He just keeps getting better, keep developing his game. He puts a lot of work in. the sky’s the limit for him.”
Maxey recently scored a career-high 51 points in a win over the Utah Jazz on Feb. 1. Simmons and Maxey regularly keep in touch, but he also isn’t going to make a big deal about a now opponent’s big scoring night.
“That’s my guy,” Simmons laughed. “I love him to death, but things like that? I’m a competitor. I want my team to do well. I’m happy for his individual success, but I don’t really keep up like that.”
Then, there’s Paul Reed. While Maxey has been able to take advantage of the opportunities he has received, one has to figure that Reed will be able to do so now that Joel Embiid will miss some time due to his meniscus injury.
“He’s like an awkward kind of player,” Simmons said of Reed. “He’s not a typical player you see. He’s got a great feel for the game, great touch. I think the last couple years, he’s developed a lot. Obviously, having Nick Nurse who’s a great coach, too, having somebody like that to continue his development has been great for him, but I love P-Reed. He’s a great dude.”
Story originally appeared on Sixers Wire
