Dean Wade is settling into life with the 76ers, and one of the first things he’s noticed in Philadelphia is a familiar edge in Tyrese Maxey’s game.
Wade, who spent his first seven NBA seasons with the Cavaliers before joining the 76ers, has been building his role the same way he did in Cleveland: with shooting, defense and a sharp basketball IQ. Now he’s expected to bring that same steady value to Philadelphia.
What stands out to him most so far is how much Maxey reminds him of James Harden, who played alongside Maxey for two seasons.
“Their styles are a little different, but James was so willing to get off the ball and make the right play every time last year. That was something I was like, ‘Man, that's impressive.'
When you guard Tyrese, and when I had to guard him, we kind of trapped him off the ball screens. He had no problem getting off the ball and finding the right guy,” said Wade in an interview with Sixers Wire's Ky Carlin.
That willingness to make the right read, Wade said, is where the comparison really starts to click.
“He made the right play every time, and then you get into his iso world-he’s so good. He's so fast and quick. I think that he has that same mentality that James has.”
Wade also pointed to the scoring burst both guards bring when the offense breaks down and the possession turns into a one-on-one problem.
“They're both unbelievably great at scoring in isolation, and so I think I don't know if James taught him (Maxey) any of that iso stuff or if he just took the mentality that James had because when I guarded him a couple years ago, I was like, ‘Man, in open space, he's so hard to stop. He's so fast, quick,'” added Wade.
Maxey is 25 and continuing to climb, while the 36-year-old Harden is no longer at the same physical peak. Even so, Wade sees the same core trait in both: the ability to punish defenses in space and make the right decision when the pressure is on.
Wade’s own production last season was 5.8 points, 36.2% shooting from three and 4.2 rebounds in 22.3 minutes per game. He signed a four-year, $39 million contract with the 76ers.
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