Philadelphia 76ers star Tyrese Maxey has reflected on the difficulties he experienced early in his second NBA season when he was asked to take on a bigger role following Ben Simmons’ absence from the team.
Maxey explained that the sudden increase in responsibility left him uncertain about what was expected of him.
He struggled to balance the demands of his teammates, coaches and others while trying to maintain confidence in his own game.
“For the first, five or six games of my sophomore year, I was in a crazy place because I didn’t know what they wanted from me. I didn’t know how to be myself. I didn’t know how to please everybody and still please myself.”
The young guard eventually realized that he needed to change his approach to preparing for games.
Rather than focusing on outside expectations, he developed a routine designed to limit distractions and help him concentrate on basketball.
“So I started doing this thing where, before the game, I didn’t get on no social media. I only talked to my mom. I go to shootaround, I get home, I call my mom, talk to her, get it out the way.”
Maxey also began spending more time alone before games, limiting communication with others and creating a quieter environment where he could prepare mentally.
“For the rest of the day until the game, it’s me, my uncle, and my dog. That’s it. I’m not talking to anybody. I go to my room. I turn off all the lights.”
He explained that the routine was not necessarily about sleeping or resting physically.
Instead, it allowed him to disconnect from social media and avoid unnecessary distractions before taking the court.
“I don’t have to go to sleep all the time, but I just get off my phone, get off social media, and just relax.”
