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PHILADELPHIA — The security guard at Xfinity Mobile Arena surprised John Calipari with his statement.

“I love your kid,” he told the Hall of Fame Arkansas coach.

Calipari was attending a Philadelphia 76ers game, catching up with Tyrese Maxey, the star guard he coached at Kentucky. But at first, he didn’t know whom the security guard was alluding to. None of his three children had accompanied him on the trip.

“Tyrese Maxey,” the security guard said. “That’s your kid, right? Every day he comes to the arena, he makes sure to shake my hand, no matter what. I love your kid.”

Calipari nodded and smiled. As a coach, he’s always traveled to support his former players, particularly in the NBA. This was an instance of someone extolling one of his former players’ virtues as a human being.

“It takes five minutes to show a kind gesture that makes someone feel good,” Calipari told The Athletic. “That’s when I knew what kind of impact Tyrese was making on the community in Philadelphia.”

On Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, the Sixers open their regular season against the New York Knicks. It will be ring night, as the league honors the Knicks’ run to the NBA title last June. For Philadelphia, the night will mark the regular-season debut of a star-studded lineup featuring newcomers LeBron James and Jaylen Brown, to go along with Maxey and Joel Embiid.

KNICKS BEGIN TITLE DEFENSE AT MSG 🏆

LEBRON AND JAYLEN BROWN’S SIXERS DEBUTS 🍿

Coming off their first championship in 53 years, Jalen Brunson and the reigning champs open the season against the new-look 76ers tonight at 7pm/et on NBC and Peacock! pic.twitter.com/QlsDm0TXXC

— NBA (@NBA) October 20, 2026

Plenty of questions have been asked about how this experiment will work. Much of the conversation throughout training camp and in the preseason has centered around James, Brown and Embiid. But those within the Sixers’ organization know this roster won’t reach its potential without Maxey. He’s become one of the best point guards in the league, a quicksilver dynamo who can get anywhere on the floor with a live dribble, with a deadly jumper to match.

After the Sixers drafted him 20th in 2020, Maxey spent his first few seasons as the fourth and sometimes fifth cog in many of their lineups. But 76ers president Mike Gansey told The Athletic that, for the Sixers to operate at peak efficiency, Maxey will have to be one of the best players on the floor every night.

“It’s been a hell of a journey,” Maxey told The Athletic. “I’ve been telling people I got here as a child, basically, coming from Kentucky. When I came here, this was my first time living on my own. I got my own dog. I got my own place. I had to learn how to pay my own bills. Now, I have a family and a daughter and all that stuff, so it’s been great.

“The journey has been great, and I’m thankful for Philadelphia and thankful for the Sixers for allowing me to grow.”

Calipari remembers Maxey’s first college game, against No. 1-ranked Michigan State in a packed house at Madison Square Garden. With Kentucky leading by two points, Maxey drained a 30-footer to seal the victory. Calipari didn’t want him taking that shot. Maxey had the confidence to take it anyway. Calipari turned to one of his assistants and told him Maxey would be special.

“I still can’t believe Tyrese fell to 20th in that draft,” Calipari recalled. “Philadelphia got fortunate. Tyrese didn’t play in the NCAA Tournament because of COVID. I couldn’t believe so many teams were passing on him.”

Gansey remembers his introductory news conference after getting the job to lead Philadelphia’s front office. His son Griffin was there wearing Maxey’s jersey but had on a pair of Donovan Mitchell’s shoes. When Maxey reached out to Gansey, he told him he loved the jersey, but Griffin had to switch out the shoes. Gansey and Maxey both got a good laugh out of that.

“Just the fact that he did that shows you the person he is,” Gansey said. “Tyrese was a huge attraction to the job. He has all the talent in the world, and he’s only getting better. We are confident that he’s only going to continue to grow. It’s awesome, because, obviously, the fanbase knows him so well. And to see him become such a good player and an even better person, being here eight years says a lot about him.”

Throughout training camp and the preseason, James repeatedly said Maxey was a big reason he chose Philadelphia. He spoke about Maxey first coming to his house as a teenager and playing video games with his sons, Bronny and Bryce. The two showed flashes during the preseason of what could become a lethal combination.

Last season, with Embiid and Paul George battling injuries, Maxey had one of the greenest lights in the NBA. He put together his first All-NBA season, and there were plenty of nights where he was the entire offense. If Maxey didn’t create a shot, the Sixers struggled to score.

This year will be a different challenge for Maxey. James has frequently run the offense often during the preseason, leaving Maxey playing off the ball more often. And when Maxey has the ball, he knows he’ll have to make sure Embiid and Brown find the requisite touches offensively to keep them effective. It will be a juggling act.

The good news? The spacing on offense that wasn’t there last season should be there this year. There will be fewer overall touches and fewer shots, but there should be a long runway for more efficient shots and results.

“It’s going to be hard,” Gansey said. “He’s so used to having the ball in his hands, especially last year. He’s got to take shots, and we want him to be himself. That’s the important part. We just want him to be himself. So, it’s just about putting his playmaking cap on and just mixing it up and being efficient.”

At Kentucky, Maxey played exclusively off the ball. He did the same early in his NBA career, while James Harden and Ben Simmons controlled the ball. When Maxey became a full-time point guard, he had to find the balance between magnifying his individual play and running the offense.

But Maxey took a little from each of the guys he played with. His time with Harden, in particular, had a big effect on him. He watched how cerebral Harden was in pick-and-roll situations, and he worked during multiple summers refining the art of doing the same. He watched how Harden developed a partnership with Embiid in the half court. And when Maxey took over the offense after Harden left, he and Embiid became one of the best two-man duos in basketball.

There have also been struggles. There were times when Maxey took bad shots or struggled to find the balance of running the offense. There were times when he turned the ball over more than coaches would have liked. Still, he and James have shown a synergy on the floor during the preseason that draws comparisons to another duo that ran the league about a decade ago.

“I always joked that he can be like Kyrie Irving was to LeBron,” Gansey said. “Now obviously, LeBron’s older, so it might be a little different. Kyrie had all the handle and all the speed, and he could get anywhere on the floor and finish with the best of them. I have always thought, why can’t Tyrese do that?

“He’s one of the best young point guards in the league, and he’s only going to get better.”

Maxey’s ability to adapt during his time in Philadelphia figures to help him this season. He figured out how to play off Harden and Embiid. He figured out how to get George the ball in spots where he could be effective. It will be on him to do some of the same things with Brown and James. He and Embiid have been playing together for so long that things are second nature for them. But a lot of the Sixers’ overall chemistry this season will fall on Maxey’s ability to mesh his considerable skill with his teammates.

On a team that could contend for the title, its point guard will need to play a major role in getting the roster there. Last playoffs, Maxey was great against the Boston Celtics, but then he struggled against the Knicks.

Tuesday night, he will have to watch the Knicks raise a banner. Maxey wants to do the same in Philadelphia, the only city of his professional basketball life, and the city where he has matured into an adult.

“That’s the goal,” Maxey said. “I don’t think it’s a secret. But it’s baby steps. We have to do it one game at a time and one day at a time. We have to keep getting better and keep trying to win.

“I want to try and win as much as I can.”

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