Philadelphia 76ers fans like what they're seeing from rookie Tyrese Maxey of Kentucky

PHILADELPHIA — Tobias Harris reached the 20-point plateau for the fourth consecutive time in Monday’s 118-101 victory over the Charlotte Hornets after earning NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors, but 76ers fans were primarily focused on somebody else on social media afterward.

And not all-stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, either.

The fans were buzzing about rookie guard Tyrese Maxey late Monday evening.

The speedy Maxey had knocked down 2 of 3 3-point attempts in the Sixers’ win, making him 3 for his last 4 from behind the arc since missing his first six 3-pointers as a pro. He hit his first 3-ball from the right elbow on a feed from Simmons early in the second quarter and the second from the right baseline after a Shake Milton pass early in the fourth en route to an 11-point outing.

With his ability to get to the basket and drop in floating jumpers over bigger defenders, if the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Maxey can be a decent 3-point shooter, he could play an even more prominent role than he did in helping the Sixers to a 6-1 start heading into Wednesday night’s game against the Washington Wizards.

“I’ve been telling him every single time to shoot it, especially when I kick it out and it’s wide open,” Embiid said. “Just let it fly. If you miss, who cares? If you take it, good – on to the next shot.”

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Maxey burst onto the collegiate scene with a 26-point debut off the bench for Kentucky in a win over No. 1 Michigan State. He was projected to go anywhere from the top 10 to late in the first round of the draft after averaging 14 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists during his one year with the Wildcats.

Doc Rivers raved about Maxey’s competitiveness and ability to play on and off the ball after the Sixers chose him at No. 21 in the mid-November draft. President of basketball operations Daryl Morey said Maxey, who shot 29.2 percent on 3-pointers (33 of 113) for John Calipari at Kentucky, would “shoot better than the number that sticks next to his name.”

Maxey’s NBA coach has no complaints in that department.

“There’s this narrative out there that the reason he went down in the draft is people didn’t think he can shoot,” Rivers said. “And I haven’t seen a lick of that. I think he’s an excellent shooter and he’ll just keep getting better.”

Maxey is counting on it.

“As far as shooting, I work extremely hard,” Maxey said. “I’m in the gym every single day multiple times a day working, making a lot of shots. I have confidence in myself.”

Rivers had enough confidence in Maxey to include the 20-year-old Maxey in his 10-man rotation for the Dec. 23 season opener vs. the Wizards, putting him ahead of defensive-minded wing Matisse Thybulle despite no summer league and an abbreviated training camp with just two exhibition games. Furkan Korkmaz’s strained groin created a temporary spot for Thybulle, but Thybulle could be the 11th man when Korkmaz returns if Maxey continues to impact games the way he has been.

Maxey always seems to be in attack mode and is especially dangerous in pick-and-roll situations. He’s so quick that he tends to drive to his right and defenders struggle to keep him in front of them.

“The unseen hours that everybody doesn’t see, that’s what really helps my confidence,” Maxey said. “Because of the work I put in, I know I’ll reap the benefits.”

Philly fans were impressed with Maxey right away. He scored on three floating jumpers and a reverse layup in the fourth quarter of the preseason opener against the Boston Celtics, prompting Simmons to say "he's going to be great."

While Maxey realizes there’s still work to do, especially on his defensive rotations and with the consistency of his jumper, he’s clearly made a favorable first impression.

“He’s going to be a terrific player for us,” Rivers said. “We’re very lucky that he fell to us.”

Maxey is feeling pretty lucky, too.

“I love it here in Philadelphia with the Sixers, for sure,” Maxey said. “I’m glad I was blessed with the opportunity to play with this organization. It’s been really great.”

And it has the potential to get even better for Maxey, the Sixers and their intrigued fans.

Tom Moore: tmoore@couriertimes.com; @TomMoorePhilly