PHILADELPHIA — Although Tyrese Maxey didn't stuff the stat sheet in the Philadelphia 76ers' win over the Toronto Raptors, he made a sizable impact on both ends of the floor. He continued showing his two-way prowess as the Sixers crossed the 50-win threshold for the 2022-23 season.

Maxey's 13 points and six assists on 5-8 shooting paired wonderfully with his defense against Fred VanVleet as he closed out a fantastic March. De'Anthony Melton, elevated to the starting lineup in Tobias Harris' absence, has been known as the Sixers' main two-way guard — and for good reason. But in his eyes, it's time to recognize Maxey as such, too.

“He's like a two-way player now, almost. Like, it's crazy,” Melton said after the Sixers win. “He be picking up full, he be sliding, he be turning people. So, you know, it's big for his growth. It's something he may not want to do all the time, but he's actually good at it based on his speed and stuff like that. I'm proud of him and it's something he can do.”

Doc Rivers highlighted the defense that the Sixers got from Maxey and Melton against the Raptors, adding that Maxey's defense has been huge in each of their last few games.

“I thought [in the] beginning of the game, Tyrese and Melt set the tone for us,” Rivers said. “They picked the ball up. Toronto was getting into their offensive with 14 and 13 on the clock. When you just have to play 13 seconds of defense, it makes you a really good defensive team.”

Tyrese Maxey's skinny frame at 6-foot-2 gives off the appearance that he can be picked on defensively. While he does provide mismatch issues for the Sixers when he has to guard anyone bigger than him, he has the ability to slow down the offense at the top of the key before that can even happen. This aggressive tendency helps lead to turnovers, which allow him to use his speed to get out for easy buckets.

Developing into a solid defender has been an important area of growth for Maxey. He can light up the score sheet on any given day, but he has yet to develop a reputation as a well-rounded player. As he flashes more and more defensive skills, his likelihood of being a big factor in the Sixers' postseason run increases exponentially.