NEWBURYPORT — It’s not often that Philadelphia 76ers guard and reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams gets to watch his younger brothers play basketball. But with the NBA’s All-Star break at hand, the second-year guard and Massachusetts native picked the perfect night to catch undefeated Hamilton-Wenham’s league game at Newburyport, a 77-34 win for the Generals (15-0).
Carter-Williams saw his twin brothers, sophomores Max and Marcus Zegarowski, combine for 51 points, including nine three-pointers.
Six-foot point guard Marcus scored 23 points while stuffing the stat sheet with 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals; Max, 4 inches taller but born 15 minutes later, dropped 28 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
“It’s awesome, man. I love coming and watching them play,” Carter-Williams said after the game. “They’re two really good players. They have fun, and it’s good that they get to be out there together. It reminds me of, you know, when I was a freshman I played at Hamilton with James Rodriguez. The chemistry they have is really good.”
The way the two flow on the court has come naturally growing up together, but watching their older brother play with his local contemporaries — including current Sixers teammate Nerlens Noel, Dallas Mavericks guard Ricky Ledo, and Iowa State junior Georges Niang — they learned what it takes to elevate their games to the next level.
“We know what it takes to be good,” Max explained. “I thought Nerlens and Michael were the two best players on their team. Michael kicked it out to Nerlens, so now Marcus kicks it out to me.”
“It was just how they ball,” Marcus added. “They would always wake up early in the morning to go workout and put in the extra time. So we tell our teammates that’s what you need to do to make it to a high major college.”
Carter-Williams knows the time spent with his younger brothers years ago is paying dividends for the 16-year-olds.
“They definitely feed off each other. Max really knocks down the open shot, and Marcus does a little bit of everything and they find each other. They just love having fun, and they love their other teammates also. They enjoy playing with each other,” Carter-Williams said. “We always try to include them, whether they guard each other or they guard one of us. Even though they were younger we just tried to include them in what we were doing and you know in the long run it’s only getting them better, even if you kick their butts every time.
“I remember them making moves in the backyard and [now I’m] watching them do it out here. So I think it definitely rubs off on them, the psychological part of the game and being competitive and trying to win every game and every possession.”
As much as the 23-year-old Carter-Williams has served as an influence, there’s still plenty of brotherly love — or brotherly nagging — between the NBA star and his brothers when he comes home.
“It’s definitely tough. I can hear him talking to me from the stands,” Marcus, a point guard like Michael, admitted after the game. “I had a tough start tonight, but then I kind of redeemed myself and started playing my game. It’s my whole family though — my aunt was here with my parents too. Everyone is after us.”
Max had a bit of a different perspective.
“He was screaming really loud, but it gets me hyped up and gives me so much more energy,” he said.
Still, having their older brother in the stands serves as a humble reminder.
“I’ve seen a lot, I’ve seen it live, I’ve seen him work out,” Marcus said. “He wasn’t the best player when he was our age, and then he just worked at it. I saw the time he put in. It’s that much easier to get there now because we know what to do because of him.”