Why Tyrese Maxey is telling new teammate Dean Wade to shoot more

Why Tyrese Maxey is telling new teammate Dean Wade to shoot more originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Tyrese Maxey has given Dean Wade a consistent message early in training camp.

Shoot the ball. 

Advertisement

Wade, who signed with the Sixers this offseason after spending the first seven years of his career with the Cavaliers, has heard that before. 

“I’ve been told that a lot in my career,” he told reporters Wednesday. 

Through a couple practices in Camden, Maxey has been on the 6-foot-9 forward to let it fly from deep. 

“I’m going to be on him this year about shooting the ball,” Maxey said. “I want him to shoot a lot of threes.”

“He’s been on me a few times already,” Wade said with a smile. 

A career 36.7 percent long-range shooter, Wade has averaged 3.2 three-point attempts per game and 7.9 per 100 possessions. He fits the 3-and-D moniker to a T, taking over 70 percent of his shots from deep last season. On a Cavaliers team with a number of ball-dominant players, Wade had the lowest usage rate of any Cleveland player in 2025-26. 

Advertisement

His role on the Sixers will be awfully similar given the volume of star facilitators on the team. Wade’s value will be creating space for them to operate because of his gravity as a shooter.

He is a true catch-and-shoot threat. Nearly all (93.4 percent) of his three-point attempts last season came on the catch. Wade made 37.2 percent of those looks. If he doesn’t fire away and force defenses to respect him, his effectiveness as a floor spacer is diminished.

“You’ll never be more open than open. Sometimes … I think the defense is going to rotate and they don’t,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing. I’ve got to shoot the ball. … That’s what [the Sixers] need me to do, is to shoot the ball when I’m open and play defense.”

On a team with so much star power, the Sixers’ role players will need to contribute without the ball. Maxey noted that Wade’s effectiveness doing his job has stood out early on.

Advertisement

“He’s somebody who knows how to play a role and he knows how to star in his role, too,” Maxey said. “I think he’s really going to help us on the defensive…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/why-tyrese-maxey-telling-teammate-070000500.html

Author :

Publish date : 2026-10-02 07:00:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.