Tyrese Maxey & Nick Nurse are POSITIVE after the Philadelphia 76ers’ GROWTH 📈 | NBA on ESPN

Tyrese Maxey & Nick Nurse are POSITIVE after the Philadelphia 76ers’ GROWTH 📈 | NBA on ESPN

Tyrese just told us not sure if that’s the best you’ve played, but it seems like this is the angriest you’re playing so far this year. I guess what do you make of that assessment? Uh I’m not angry. I’m happy. Uh but I think I think the point he’s trying to make is like maybe I don’t smile as much anymore. Maybe because I’m getting older, but I think I’m at the point and like my career where like I want us to be really good as a team and like I know that starts with me. So like sometimes now I can’t be all smiley and all the time like Hunt was like, “Why were you screaming at me before I came in the game?” I said, “Bro, cuz you don’t have your shirt tucked in. If you get us to delay a game, then I’m going be really angry.” And then he’s like, “Twin, I was just happy to be in there.” I said, “You’re right. My fault, Hunt.” But um but yeah, that I think that’s just just determined. Like I want us to win. Man, I want us to win so bad every single game. I want to do whatever I can to help my team do that, you know. So, that’s really it. You go to always, he’s really good at basketball, but when you look at what BJ’s done through the first three games of his career, how do you kind of like describe what you’ve seen from him? I think he’s been good. Like you said, I mean, he’s been poised. Um, it’s funny cuz, uh, you know, he got that last turnover at the end and, uh, I was telling him that’s my turnover. I got to give him some space cuz like, you know, my man would have trapped him. But um I mean for how he’s playing, you know, he’s playing extremely aggressive. Only had two turnovers tonight. Has the ball in his hands a lot. Um you know, we all trust him. So he got to keep playing that way. Um but yeah, his defense has been great. His patience has been great and he scored the ball at a high level. So when you during the summer like when did you first find out that like this is what we’re going to really focus on this year? So in my exit meeting um you know coach Daryl and EB said listen you got to get the ball up the court a lot faster than you getting up the court. And I was like that that’s fine with me if y’all you know just let me know what y’all need from me. They told me that then then they drafted VJ and it’s like listen we really got to get the ball the court now. So that’s what we’ve been trying to do and uh it really helps because everybody has bought in. So when buys into that um makes it a lot easier. You talked about before the season transforming the culture of this team and how that starts with you. You can only preach that message though. It takes the rest of the team to be willing to hear it and then act on it. What do you just feel have to say about your team? are really kind of following through so far in the season and following what they need to do to take care of business. I think the biggest thing is man like we set the tone from day one like as soon I I don’t know I got back like September 13th to 15th and they had already been hitting the ground running but like I just let them know like listen dude like from day one right now you know moving forward we got to be on our Ps and Q’s every single day. Um you know we have to work extremely hard outwork people and you know play hard every single night. So, coach Nurse made a statement as far as like when when fans leave the building, wherever we’re at, they want to say that we played, you know, our toes off that night. So, that’s what we’re trying to do. Nick said that he thinks this might have been the best game. Kelly’s ever played as a Sixer. Just what did you see his add tonight? Yeah, he was really good, man. Like offensively, defensively, vocal. I remember they went on a run. He rallied the guys said, “Hey, listen, man. That run has to stop now. We go out there, we go on a run ourselves in in the first or second quarter, I can’t remember.” But like he’s been very vocal. He’s been very just he been good, man. Like just honestly, that’s all I can say about it cuz like he’s rebounded well. He’s defended well. He’s he’s guarded like four different positions, which is funny. But, um, he’s been really good. He’s scoring the ball well. He’s taken the, you know, really good shots and, uh, he’s been like perfect for us right now. So, shout out to Kelly. Talk about on media day, those physical pre pre-amp practices, you know, valves were called. How did that prepare you to sort of be in this position last. Okay, so Quinton Grimes six fouls. BJ Edico, I had five fouls winning game. No, but uh no, honestly, it just makes us made us tougher. I think that was the biggest thing that it did. Made us tougher, man. Like you got to play through some of those hits offensively and then defensively you got to be aggressive. Go out there and guard your yard sometimes, man. Apollo, he’s is him, Fran, Desmond, they are really good at like getting downhill and like taking those bumps and uh we did a really good job of doing that. Bona and Drum was, you know, blocking shots and cleaning us up, too. So, that was really good. Super early. What did the MVP chance mean to you? And what did you think? I I told you after the game said, “Dude, I don’t know how you do this.” I missed the free throw cuz they was screaming. But, uh, I just want us to win, man. Whatever, however that looks, as long as we do that, you know, whether it looks like it looked last game, the game before last, or today, I don’t really care. As long as we winning. Um, that’s what we’re about right now. trying to stay winning and just, you know, we’re not going to go, you know, win every game, but keep competing, keep winning, and uh keep sacrificing for our team. I’m an offensive team to the league and you guys were able to really attack them efficiently and get things rolling pretty quick on offense. How were you able to to do so tonight? You know, pace coach Nur said before the game um that they were they’re a bigger bigger team and uh if if we could rebound and stop them, we could get out run them and uh that’s what we tried to do. you want to win any way you can, but tonight obviously that was a lot of it had to do with you being the out down the stretch and being that kind of lead scorer. What can you just talk a little bit about your comfortability being that number one option, especially down the stretch in close situations in close games? I mean, I’m just trying to close games out. Um, you know, Jo has been on me recently about that probably since like my fourth year about how I need to like help close games out and have the ball in my hands and make decisions whether I’m shooting or whether I’m passing. Like it was a play today and got in the paint and they helped and I kicked it out to Justin and Justin hit a big three and then he got a drove and hit another shot. Like those are big plays that I’m talking about that he’s talking about. Not always shoot, not always scoring but making the right play. And I think that’s the biggest thing that I’ve been trying to do and like control pace, control time and possession of the ball. Um that’s the biggest thing like late in the game go get the ball, make the right play. Some of you know the little contributions that you that you guys had You know, Eric came in two big shots. Justin made a big downtre just that everybody came in and contributed something. Yeah, everybody like everybody’s doing good, man. Hunt got in and he, you know, he went out there and he played his tail off for however long he was in the game. But like you said, Eric, EG, um, Drum, Justin, most like those three guys I’m really proud of because like they didn’t play as much the first game. Justin played a little bit last game. I think Drum had to come in and play, but EG hadn’t played at all and he comes right in and bangs two threes. Justin comes in and makes some big plays and Drum was huge again tonight. I know the results probably speak for themselves to some extent, but have you felt the difference that the changes in the offense have made for you or just, you know, having more ball handlers on the floor, the ability to, you know, get off ball, get some get some speed going down? I think that’s one of the biggest thing. We have more ball handlers. So, like takes a little bit pressure off myself, off Joelle, off Paul. like sometimes when you can get off the ball, get a rest and the defense isn’t looking at you every single possession is good. So, um that’s been great. And then just playing faster has done the NBA is moving fast. A lot of teams are trying to play faster and uh to be able to keep up with that um some guys don’t like to get back. So, if we play fast and they’re playing fast, we can stop them from trying to play a little bit fast um defensively, then it’s a good combination. You and BJ through the first three games have scored more points than any back court in going back to at least 1970. I was just curious what your thoughts are. That’s a long time ago. Uh 1970 that was like that was you that was a long time ago. But um I don’t have nothing to say. That’s just a long time ago. That was good though. I mean listen we’re just trying to go out there and be aggressive and help us win. As long as we’re doing that then you know we’re doing a good job. BJ’s doing great. Does it surprise you at all? how quickly this has all come together the way it has. I think right now we just going out there and competing our tails off. I think uh being here early September whenever we got here and got to play like pickup and stuff and just being with BJ this summer and being with those young guys and doing stuff. The camaraderie was the thing that that kind of helped us boost. So like we kind of knew going in, okay, this is what the roles are. This is what we’re going to do. So when you do that and then our our training camp was really good. Coaching staff did a really good job this year training camp. The preseason games were good. A lot of guys we didn’t play a lot in the preseason. That’s because we were practicing and like really going at each other in practice. So um I think it’s done a good job and it’s prepared us for the beginning of the season. Now we just got to keep keep going and you know keep making adjustments. All right. Max’s goals tonight. Well, it was big time, right? I think that um he um I mean, obviously, they were giving him a lot of tension in the second half. There wasn’t a whole lot of room out there for him. Um and he and I thought he made some decisions to start going in transition, not not necessarily break, but just early in the offense. And I thought that helped them. They were they were starting to, you know, switch everything and pack in and keep guys in front of us. We weren’t doing a great job of giving him space to to operate, but he he decided to go a little earlier, I thought, in the offense and obviously made the made the plays. Yeah. What BJ was able to do. I mean, again, he’s one of the top defenses in the league. Fearless out there. Yeah, he’s he’s um again, I think I think the four of them throw Q in there. you had kind of limited minutes, but again, I think they’re doing a good job of of uh sharing it with each other, taking opportunities. It’s it’s it’s a lot of play on the catch stuff. Um, you know, so I I like the uh you know, just again the little variety, right? Every you know, you’re just not quite sure which one of those guys is going to go and who’s going to screen for who and and all that kind of stuff. So, I think it’s helping them. What did Kelly give you guys? Kelly was awesome. That was one of Kelly’s best games, if not his best game as a Sixer, man. He was he was awesome right from the beginning. He had spent a lot of time guarding Ben Carro, right? Giving away I don’t know 50 pounds maybe. And he just kept battling him. I mean, it was tough. Ben Carol was putting his body on us a lot, right? And uh we were trying our best not to foul him and we did a decent job in the second half of not fouling him, but it kind of led to some easier baskets, too. But Kelly had a great game. You also had 10 rebounds. How big was that on the night when you guys again were a little short-handed and didn’t have as much size as you like? He’s been defensive rebounding really well this year and they’re and they’re pretty emphatic ones. He’s coming up and we’re trying we’re trying to get him to come out and get over the top of the other team’s big guys and he’s been he’s been working on it and he’s been really doing it because he just kind of springs up and and snaps them down. So, uh we we need obviously we’re playing three guards. It makes him a a guy that has to help us defensive rebound. You guys played three crunch time games two or three games. part of the season, I guess. Where does that poise come from to sort of keep coming out of attack there? Well, I think I think um you know, uh one is is they’re doing a really good job of executing stuff, right? I think that I don’t know if I go back to Boston game, I guess. I mean, there was a lot of changes going on in our defensive coverages in the last three minutes of the game and they were getting them done, you know, they were getting them done. And then in the game the other night, we made a bunch of changes to start the fourth to try to get some energy going and they got, you know, they they did it. And those were all defensive, but again, just little things I think keep adding up. I think they’re they’re, you know, they’re sneaking a layup here and there on the side play about every game. they’re they’re, you know, getting a getting a play executed for a three-point shot then that we call and then but mostly I think those guys, you know, that those guys are playing so well together out there that it’s making it hard to hone in on on stopping any one of them, right? I think that’s probably the biggest thing. Yeah. What did you make of a Dem’s night tonight? It’s pretty good. He had 17 blocks tonight, didn’t he? Felt like it. I don’t know how many you have, but it felt like it, right? I mean I mean uh just what we talked about before the game and we you asked me I think and I just said it’s really all about energy for him if he’s if he’s energetic and bouncy like that like he’s going to block some shots and um he certainly had some great timing early. He was really waiting because those guys thought they were you know they thought they were cruising to the basket and he was he was uh surprising them especially early in the game. But that’s that’s big. I mean, you know, it’s it’s it’s you know, they got big guys who are trying to beat us up to the rim and there’s not much left there unless you got somebody that can protect the rim a little bit. So, it’s big. One of his one of his buckets was on the lob from Tyrese where he blew by his guy and moving really quickly. Made a one-handed lob pass. How important of a pass can that be for Tyson? That’s a play at that point in the game. You guys probably saw it. They were really um kind of overloading to Tyrese’s side. So they were pulling the five all the way over into into like almost a pre-rotation, right? And you know that that Bon has got to have some discipline to stay wide and then when they you know the guy’s almost already committed to to Tyrese. So he he has that kind of runway to to run. It’s it’s not that easy though. For whatever reason guys have guys get kind of pulled into the into the crowd too. So, um, it was I think two of them where he just really waited till the right time and then took off. Yeah. In the days leading up to the to the opener, you talked about how when two people leave their seats, you hope that they felt like that you guys really worked hard that night. Um, you know, this is a Monday in late October and there’s good juice in the building tonight. What does that what does that mean to you? Yeah, I mean, obviously the guys are playing extremely hard and and and again, like we need we need every bit of everybody that hit the floor, right? I mean, we we the other night we kind of went to Drummond late and he sparked us tonight. I thought he had a really good first half and of course Eric sparked us tonight. And you know, even Hunter had to go in there because we had the foul trouble and just just play a couple minutes. And I think I think that’s that’s important. You look down and you say, “Well, who who didn’t help us tonight?” I said, “You couldn’t say anybody didn’t help us tonight.” And that’s that’s, you know, that’s good. I think they’re feeding off that energy. Thought the crowd was great, right? That helps, too. I I think the this this building’s electric. A little crazy, but crazy good, right? When you’re playing hard. Maybe in addition to the crunch time execution, just when you sort of look at the totality of the three games, what do you sort of look at as okay, these were some seeds that we’ve been sewing for weeks, months, in certain circumstances that were like actually start to Yeah. I mean, I don’t know. I mean, I think you got to you got to play all three phases of the game, right? You got to you got to you got to play some semblance of defense. No matter no matter what the matchups are and whether you’re bigger, smaller, quicker, slower, whatever, you got to figure some things out. Um we’ve done that just enough, I think. Right. Um I think obviously the offense is is is spaced and there’s the balls moving. Uh there’s lots of things good happening there. Uh I think we’re playing pretty unselfishly on offense as well. Lots of lots of good looks from three. Lots of dump offs to the bigs when the bigs are are available. And then again, I think the special teams has has done their job, you know, really well. Again, layups here, always getting the ball in bounds under pressure, you know, all that kind of stuff. Has the uh has the way this has come together as fast as it has, considering Grimes obviously late addition as a rookie, you have two veterans been in and out. Has any of it surprised you how gone early. Um I think that um Q part I’ll answer first. I thought he looked a little like he needed a little conditioning in game one, right? But that comes pretty quick, right? You know, as soon as you go out there and play 35 30 plus minutes, you know, your conditioning in a real live tough game comes pretty quick. So I don’t think he’s over that hump. I mean, listen, I think that again, VJ, uh, you know, everybody that’s it’s not that surprising to me. I think he’s I think he’s this good. I think he’s this good. And I thought it right away. And he’s, like I said, he from the day we drafted him, he was where we asked him to be all all summer long, every single day. And that was that was working. And he’s got a he’s got a tremendous engine to work every day. And you’re going to get better when you do that. And I think that he’s got he’s got such an athleticism to him. Like he just, you know, you saw the he just makes he’s going to make some plays at the defensive end every night. You saw that tremendous block tonight out of nowhere. He’s a like a shot blocking two guard, right? He’s going to block shots and he’s going to dart in the passing lane. He’s going to he’s going to knife over screens. And then the rest of it, I think he’s just been so patient. You know, that beyond his years. I I didn’t probably know he had that. Like his feel for the game and his tempo and all that stuff is really good. And he’s he got a long way to go here, right? He gonna have his ups and downs, but my my whole goal, as I said, is minutes for him. His successful season’s going to be piled up in minutes. And 40 two nights in a row is a good start. Yep. All right. All right. See you guys. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause]

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PG Tyrese Maxey and head coach Nick Nurse speak to the media after the Philadelphia 76ers’ 136-124 win over the Orlando Magic.

0:00 Embracing a leadership role
2:38 Setting the tone
3:58 Going through stats
5:07 Importance of rebounding
6:30 Commending teammates
9:07 “Big time”
11:05 Offensive rebounding
12:45 All about energy
14:28 Playing hard
16:30 Breaking down players

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