With training camp right around the corner and a plethora of questions facing the Philadelphia 76ers, one of the biggest storylines of the season will be Tyrese Maxey’s new role on the team. With the James Harden situation remaining unresolved and a new coach coming in to run the team, many are wondering whether Tyrese Maxey is going to make the jump to All-Star next season. With a bigger workload and another year of growth, he certainly has the chance to.
Consistent growth
In his three years so far in the league, Tyrese Maxey has consistently and remarkably improved. Every year, Maxey’s had to take on more responsibilities and has risen to every opportunity. Last season, he posted a career-high in nearly every single statistical category, including points (20.3), field goals made and attempted (7.3 for 15.2), three-point percentage (43.4%), effective field goal percentage (56.8%), true shooting percentage (60.5%) and usage percentage (24.1%). Add an excellent tactical coach in Nick Nurse, and Maxey really appears that he may just be ready for an even bigger jump this season.
Can Maxey meet the challenge?
NBA Skills Coach Drew Hanlen recently talked about how he expects Tyrese Maxey to average 25 points per game this season. While this would be a significant jump for a guy who just broke the 20-point threshold last season, it isn’t out of the question. The fact that he was able to break the 20-points-per-game mark as a third option in an offense heavily reliant on a James Harden-Joel Embiid pick-and-roll is promising.
Last season, he shot 48.1% from the field, 43.4% from three, and 84.5% from the line, and while some may say that with a bigger role comes lower efficiency, I point you to the jump between Maxey’s rookie and second-year. Despite an increased role, Maxey improved his field goal percentage by 2.3% and his three-point percentage by a whopping 12.6%. While it will certainly be a challenge for Maxey to meet these lofty expectations, challenges are not something he shies away from.
Maxey keeps on rolling despite changing roles
The young star guard has been one of the most important players to the Sixers over the past few years and has risen to every opportunity he has been given. In his young career, he has had to fill so many roles. He has had to be the go-to guy in situations where Joel Embiid was out. He has had to defer to James Harden in the backcourt. He has backed Ben Simmons and stepped up majorly in Simmons’ absence. The first start of his entire career came in a game where the Sixers only had seven players available to suit up due to COVID-19, a game in which Maxey scored 39 points.
Every challenge that Maxey has been faced with, he has overcome. There is no reason why he can’t become an All-Star this season.
