LeBron James stamps on Tyrese Maxey’s workout buddies, Jaylen Johnson

LeBron James offered emphatic praise for two of the league’s rising stars during a recent episode of Mind the Game, detailing work habits and on-field growth Tyrese McKay and Jalen Johnson after training with both players in recent summers.

Speaking to co-host Steve Nash, James highlighted Maxey’s consistency and dedication, pointing to early morning workouts as a window into the Philadelphia quarterback’s rapid rise.

“Tyreese Maxey has made leap after leap over the last few years,” James said. “I’ve worked out and coached with him over the last couple of summers. Every morning at 5:00 in the morning we’re in the gym 5:30, whatever’s in the gym. And you see, his dedication shows up on time and on target every day. A guy who just loves the game and takes full advantage of the opportunity in Philly and I loved playing as a kid, and I talked about it not too long ago. He’s amazing as a basketball player, but how much better he is as a person, which speaks volumes because he an amazing basketball player.”

Maxi, 25, is in the midst of a career season with Philadelphia 76ers. In 32 games, he is averaging 31.0 points, 7.0 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game, while shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 40.5 percent from three. He is logging 40.0 minutes per game as a Philadelphia holds a 19-15 record and is in fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings.

LeBron James praises Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Johnson as training partners

James then turned his attention to Johnson, who he said has benefited from the expanded responsibilities with the Atlanta Hawks, especially due to injuries in the backcourt.

“The other guy is somebody I worked with the last two summers, Jaylen Johnson in Atlanta,” James said. “I think Tree Young’s injury has brought out even more of what Jaylen is capable of doing. They put him in a Scottie Pippen role where he plays like this point forward, and not only does he score, but he rebounds at a high rate, and he throws the ball. We’ve seen in the last month, four games, that he could play three-five at a high level. I just love the improvement, I love to see that.

Johnson, 24, is also enjoying a breakout campaign. In 34 games, he averaged 23.7 points, 10.4 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 52.1 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from beyond the arc. Atlanta enters Sunday at 5-9 p.mfinishing 10th in the Eastern Conference.

James, who recently turned 41, continues to produce at a high level for the Los Angeles Lakers. In 17 games, he is averaging 21.2 points, 6.7 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 51.1 percent from the field. Los Angeles has a record of 22-11 and is third in the Western Conference.

The The Lakers open a doubleheader Tuesday night against the New Orleans Pelicans (8-29) before hosting the San Antonio Spurs (25-10) on Wednesday night in a nationally televised game.