LeBron James on Tyrese Maxey: ‘The motherf***** don’t get tired’

LeBron James had plenty of praise for Tyrese Maxey and the young guard’s tenacity in his latest podcast episode with J.J. Redick.

Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images

Tyrese Maxey took yet another leap this season. On his way to claiming the NBA’s Most Improved Player award, he set career-highs across the board and thrived in a larger role, whether he was operating alongside Joel Embiid or leading the offense without him. Maxey took that momentum into the playoffs too, and has rightfully received plenty of attention.

On the latest episode of Mind the Game, the brilliant podcast from LeBron James and JJ Redick which is full of fascinating insight and great X’s and O’s breakdowns, there were plenty of compliments for Maxey.

LeBron was quick to highlight Maxey’s tenacity and energy in particular.

“The motherf****r don’t get tired.” @KingJames shares why @TyreseMaxey is so dominant on Mind the Game. Episode 7 is now live on all platforms.

: https://t.co/rIvf9psuXo pic.twitter.com/v5xEFmKVxP

— UNINTERRUPTED (@uninterrupted) May 9, 2024

“The motherf***** don’t get tired,” LeBron said. “He don’t get tired. I mean, I watched that game last night, I think he played 50 minutes. I think maybe, you know, hurt his elbow at one point, turned his ankle at one point, hit the ground numerous times, try to go in the lane and dunk on two guys, get it blocked, get back up… You can’t get ahold of him, ‘cause he don’t get tired. You know, he just don’t get tired.”

Redick rightfully highlighted not just Maxey’s elite top-end speed, but how effectively Maxey changes speed. It’s what helps him catch defenders off guard, send them in the wrong direction, and inevitably leave them behind when they can’t match his blistering acceleration — either in half-court settings or transition when he pushes the pace.

“Yes, he’s fast,” Redick said. “But he also changes speeds so well. The way I would describe him and why I think he’s so good in the playoffs is ‘cause you can’t get ahold of him. Do you know what I mean by that? He constantly plays with a bounce to his step, and sometimes the bounces are slower, sometimes they’re faster, and then when he wants to turn on the jets, he turns on the jets.”

It’s well worth checking out the full episode on this year’s playoffs (and the previous episodes) on YouTube.

Maxey, at just 23 years old and fresh off his first All-Star season, averaged 29.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game with 47.8/40/89.3 shooting splits in the playoffs against a quality Knicks team with the NBA’s ninth-ranked defense.

Oh, and we can’t look back at his series without highlighting his 46-point takeover to keep the Sixers’ season alive in Game 5 either.

Tyrese Maxey’s incredible 4th quarter in Game 5:

17 points
6/7 FG (4/4 3PT)
3 assists

Including 7 points in 17 seconds to send the game to overtime: pic.twitter.com/n9h2xUM3ee

— Tom West (@TomWestNBA) May 1, 2024

He improved pretty much every facet of his game this season — playmaking, higher-volume three-point shooting, finishing through contact and efficiency at the rim (he made a career-high 66.1 percent of his attempts within three feet), free throw rate (although he still deserved a better whistle in the playoffs), defense, and his mid-range game and space creation as the year went on. He legitimately reached All-NBA level this season.

Maxey working tirelessly to develop different areas of his game will surely continue this offseason and into 2024-25. Consistently getting better — one percent better every day, to be precise — is just what he does.

It’s safe to say the compliments from LeBron are well and truly deserved. It’s always nice to have the recognition of, at worst, the second-best player in NBA history.