Tyrese Maxey is coming into his third NBA season with very high expectations after his incredible sophomore year with the 76ers. After he went from a curious bench piece to a top tier starter with unlimited potential (thanks to the Ben Simmons saga), Maxey has been speculated as someone who could end up being an All-Star as soon as next season. However, for that to happen, Maxey would have to take another leap. Luckily for the Sixers, he has proven again and again that he is up to the challenge.
Growing pains
Maxey’s rookie season was full of ups and downs, going from a low minute rotation player some nights, to someone who dropped a career high 39 points on the Nuggets when most of his team was out in health and safety protocols. On the season Maxey averaged 8 points per game on 46.2/30.1/87.1 shooting splits, playing 15.3 minutes per game for 61 games. While at first glance these numbers don’t seem like anything special, Sixers fans had faith in his potential. Potential that we all got to see come to fruition in his second season.
Thanks to (All-Star point guard and Brooklyn Nets franchise player) Ben Simmons sitting out the entire season due to his involvement in trade discussions during the offseason, Tyrese Maxey became a starter right out the gate during his sophomore year. After some early-season growing pains, he exploded as one of the best players on the Sixers. The ex-Kentucky guard scored 17.5 points per game, a 9.5 point jump from 2020-2021, on incredible efficiency. He shot 48.5% from the field, a 2.3% increase and 42.7% from deep, a 12.6%(!) increase from his rookie year. He also averaged 4.3 assists per game along with 1.2 turnovers per game. Most exciting among these jumps though is his three point percentage.
Can Tyrese Maxey make the jump?
The evidence for another leap for Maxey lies in his work ethic. A never ending list of camps, practice, and statistical growth. In one offseason, Maxey recognized that his three point shot wasn’t falling, worked on it, and finished 3rd in the NBA in field goal percentage. Some players go years without ever working on their weaknesses, meanwhile Maxey spends one year, converting his weaknesses to strengths.
While it is unlikely we will see as large of a jump from Maxey as we did last year, he will improve this year. Regression is not in his vocabulary, and thanks to his legendary work ethic, we’re looking at someone who could realistically make the All Star game next year. Tyrese Maxey is the most talented guard that the 76ers have drafted since Allen Iverson, and could go down as a Sixers great by the time all is said and done.
Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire
