Tyrese Maxey remembers battling Charles Bassey in high school in Texas. At the time, Bassey was considered the best player in the state. Maxey was second.
“I didn’t like him, because he was ranked above me. Nah, I’m just playing,” Maxey joked with reporters after the Sixers’ 103-89 win over the Nuggets. “He was great.”
On Thursday night in Denver, we saw a glimpse of why Bassey was so highly thought of back then as the still shorthanded Sixers recorded a convincing road win. The second-round pick and Western Kentucky product played a huge role in slowing down reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and providing the Sixers with much-needed energy off the bench.