Maxey’s leadership (and new hair), McCain’s ‘toughness’ stands out, more reports from Day 2 of camp

Tyrese Maxey spoke about how he’s helping rookie Jared McCain and more reports from folks on the ground at Day 2 of Sixers training camp in the Bahamas.

Another practice in the books as the Sixers finished Day 2 of their training camp in the Bahamas.

On Tuesday, French forward Guerschon Yabusele seemed to be the talk of camp while the team is clearly sticking with their message of keeping Joel Embiid as healthy as possible.

All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey spoke on Wednesday along with head coach Nick Nurse. Let’s check out what’s being reported by the folks on the ground in the Bahamas.

Maxey takes the lead

It’s pretty amazing with Tyrese Maxey. This is a guy who made his first All-Star appearance and was named the league’s Most Improved Player, yet you just know the 23-year-old is far from satisfied.

He was thrust into the point guard position last season with the absence of James Harden. He learned so much on the fly, but still managed to have one of the most productive guard seasons in franchise history. The Sixers have asked Maxey to fluctuate roles and responsibility since the day he arrived in Philly and he’s taken it all in stride.

Believe it or not, this will be Maxey’s fifth NBA season. He’s also now the Sixers’ second-longest tenured player behind Joel Embiid. With that comes another level of responsibility as Maxey steps into a larger leadership role.

Look, moving on from Tobias Harris and replacing him with Paul George is unquestionably an enormous upgrade. With that said, Harris was a player that welcomed young players into the fold and took them under his wing — as he did once upon a time for Maxey.

Frankly, guys like Jared McCain and Adem Bona couldn’t ask for a better guy to take that mantle than Maxey. We all know about Maxey’s work ethic and “get 1% better every day” mantra. He’s the type of franchise player most teams dream about.

What’s even bigger for the Sixers though is the way Maxey is leading the entire team on the court. It’s something Maxey has had to grow into, but Nurse saw growth in that department last season and is seeing even more now in camp.

As Nurse said on media day, it’s useless to put a ceiling on Maxey. This guy is special and somehow still getting better.

McCain’s toughness stands out

What stood out about Jared McCain coming out of Duke was his jumper. He was arguably the best pure shooter in his draft class and made shots in big spots for the Blue Devils. Some folks also made a big fuss over the fact that he makes TikTok videos and paints his nails.

All of that belies the totality of his game. McCain is competent off the dribble with the ability to ball handle in the pick-and-roll and finish craftily. He’s a feisty defender, who isn’t afraid to fight through a screen. He also has a strong lower half, which helps him rebound for his size.

The latter traits are what has stood out to Nurse about his rookie guard.

To start the season, we probably won’t see much of McCain. The Sixers are stacked at guard with Maxey starting and veterans Kyle Lowry, Eric Gordon and Reggie Jackson in the mix off the bench. But Lowry (38), Gordon (35) and Jackson (34) likely won’t play all 82 games. There could be opportunities for McCain to get minutes as the season progresses.

“At Duke, being a freshman … being highly touted in high school,” McCain said at media day, “you feel like you want to play as a freshman. But now, being a rookie on a championship-contending team, I can’t be like, ‘I want to be this. I want to play this many minutes.’ I’m just trying to learn as much as possible. … Just to learn as much as I can, find whatever my role is going to be on this team, and just work as hard as I can off the court.”

Getting this compliment from Gordon, who could surely teach McCain an awful lot, is no small thing.

Maxey’s playmaking improves because of … his hair?

In case you hadn’t noticed, Maxey changed his look over the summer. Instead of sporting his usual braids, Maxey has adopted the cornrows, a look made famous around these parts — and really in general — by Allen Iverson.

But it’s not just a fashion choice. Apparently it’s helping Maxey’s playmaking.

That’s pretty funny. It’s a good look for him though. Doesn’t hurt that it’s the same hair style that the last electric Sixers guard rocked for so many years.