PHILADELPHIA -- There was a play in the second quarter of the Philadelphia 76ers 125-120 overtime preseason finale loss to the Boston Celtics when Tyrese Maxey ran some pick-and-roll with LeBron James. Maxey drove off the screen, showed patience, saw James cutting, and hit his new teammate who converted a tough And-1 opportunity.
There was another play in the third when Maxey and James ran more two-man action and James then popped off it for an open jumper. Of course, there was also the play when Maxey threw a lob to James and the 41-year-old went up and threw it down. Those two have worked out together for years, but to have it translate now to an actual game, it's something to behold.
"I mean you just said it, to be able to put the reps in and practice, to rep it, rep it, and then be able to go from the practice court to the main court to the game. It’s a progression," James said of his chemistry with Maxey. "So it's a good set for us. It's some good, good movement for us. It's good enough to know that we can have that in our back pocket whenever needed. Obviously, we know with the 1-5 with him and Jo (Embiid), what they do. Create a side pick-and-roll or a mid pick-and-roll. It creates another dynamic."
As far as the lob is concerned, that's another dynamic the two of them have. Maxey saw a streaking James and was able to throw an accurate lob pass to put it in a spot where only James could get to it. James went up and threw it down much to the delight of the Xfinity Mobile Arena crowd which was at full throttle whenever James had the ball in his hands.
"Obviously, it’s just a connection that we have, and some of the best things for us offensively is going to be to get up the floor, pace and space," James added. "We have athleticism. We have guys that share the ball. We have guys that can attack the paint with the dribble, with the pass. So me just hanging behind the defense and Reese found me and I was able to finish it off."
PnR entre Tyrese Maxey y LeBron James.
— YostinNBA (@YostinNBA) October 17, 2026
Esta temporada será divertida pic.twitter.com/eMIO2jq7lY
Of course, this is nothing new to James. He knows what Maxey is capable of. He knows that making this move to Philadelphia was partly because of Maxey and what he brings to the table. His basketball IQ is off the charts, James knows it, and it isn't surprising to him at all.
"Nothing," James smiled. "I mean, I work out with Reese every summer. So, I already know the type of player he is where he is. I'm here. The reason why I’m here is because of him."
The Sixers will now turn their attention to the New York Knicks in the season opener on Tuesday.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Sixers star LeBron James discusses his chemistry with Tyrese Maxey