The NBA the 2023-2024 All-NBA teams. With three teams featuring five of the league’s best on each squad, 15 players were named to the first, second, and third teams. One player who did not hear his name called was Philadelphia 76ers‘ star, Tyrese Maxey, despite once again improving statically nearly across the board while proving himself among the top players in the league.
In his first season as the Sixers’ full-time starting point guard, Maxey averaged 25.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 6.1 assists. At times, he was overtaxed and asked to be the team’s primary star, with Joel Embiid sidelined for 43 games last season. Despite this, Maxey enjoyed career-best numbers both in individual games and the season as a whole, which led to him being named to the NBA’s All-Star team for the first time in his career.
A one of a kind season for Tyrese Maxey
Despite the major change in roll Maxey saw this season and the many improvements he made, one thing that did not change was his ability to take care of the ball. Averaging just 1.7 assists as the Sixers’ new lead guard, Tyrese Maxey was the only player in the NBA to average at least 20 points, six assists, and fewer than two turnovers per game.
As he prepares to head into free agency with the certainty that he will be returning to Philadelphia with a much-deserved pay raise, the sky remains the limit for Maxey, who has already well overshot the predictions around him when the Sixers drafted him with the 21st overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
While Maxey was not named to any of the 2023-24 teams, who knows where the 2024-2025 season will take him. If he continues down the path he’s traveled so far, a first-time All-NBA team appearance is far from unlikely for “the Franchise.”
Philadelphia surely feels for their young guard, but it’s not all bad for the Sixers. The max contract Maxey is expected to sign this offseason will start at $35.5 million. Had Maxey been named to any of the teams, the deal would have started north of $42 million annually. While it wouldn’t have affected their anticipated cap space this summer, it will certainly spare them room against the luxury tax and the first and second aprons.
