Tyrese Maxey names Dallas and New York stars who he draws offensive inspiration from

Tyrese Maxey became a star in the NBA after taking over the void left by James Harden following his trade to the LA Clippers. Maxey has been trying his best to keep the Philadelphia 76ers afloat amid Joel Embiid's absence due to knee surgery.

In an interview with Sportskeeda's Mark Medina, Maxey was asked which stars have influenced his game. The one-time All-Star shared that he looks up to Kyrie Irving of the Dallas Mavericks, Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks and Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"I watch a little bit of Donovan Mitchell, a little bit of Jalen Brunson and a little bit of Kyrie Irving when he was in Boston," Maxey said. "I've watched guys that were either primary or secondary scorers that have gotten trapped, blitzed and different things like that.

"That is what is going on with me now so, I have to be ready and be prepared for it. They're able to manipulate the defense and able to get their teammates open. That's opened things up for them."

Tyrese Maxey has a similar game to the three All-Stars he mentioned, primarily the way they can score the basketball. Kyrie Irving, Jalen Brunson and Donovan Mitchell are three of the best scorers in the NBA right now.

Irving's handles and ability to finish at the rim might be the best the league has ever seen. Brunson is different in a way that he loves to post up but has improved his shot-making beyond the arc.

Mitchell is more of a 3-point shooter who has the athletic ability to slash the basket when he wants to. Maxey has a little bit of the three All-Stars, as he can score inside, the mid-range and at the 3-point line. He can also absorb contact and get into the line when needed.

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Tyrese Maxey keeping the Sixers alive amid Joel Embiid's injury

Tyrese Maxey is doing everything in his power to keep the Sixers afloat in the absence of Joel Embiid.

Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey were one of the best duos in the NBA, leading the Philadelphia 76ers to a great record in the Eastern Conference. However, an injury to Embiid's right knee at the end of January meant that Maxey would have to carry the team until the MVP's return.

Maxey is averaging 25.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 5.4 assists, as Embiid went down against the Golden State Warriors. The Sixers are 9-14 during that span and would have been worse if the Kentucky product was not playing like an All-Star.

Embiid is likely returning at the end of the regular season, while the Sixers still have a shot at finishing in the top6. They are 0.5 games behind the Indiana Pacers and have the same record as the Miami Heat.

They will need to win as many games as possible in the final three weeks of the season to avoid the Play-In Tournament.

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