Tyrese Maxey found himself in a nearly impossible situation as the 2021-2022 NBA season kicked off. With Ben Simmons opting to hold out and then refusing to play for the Philadelphia 76ers, Maxey found himself being promoted from bench spark plug to starting point guard of a team that is a credible contender to win the NBA championship.
Maxey was thrown into the fire, and he has excelled. As a result of this early-season success, Maxey is being discussed in consideration for this season's Most Improved Player Award.
Let's break down if Maxey deserves to win this award.
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Tyrese Maxey's 2021-22 Most Improved Player candidacy
The case for Tyrese Maxey
Tyrese Maxey showed flashes last season and even put up a 39-point performance just 10 games into his career against Denver, when Philly was down to just seven players due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols. However, he was able to stay mostly in his comfort zone, developing at his own pace. During that COVID game, it was more of a showcase opportunity with little to no pressure, as nobody really expected him to come out and actually lead the shorthanded team to a victory.
This season, however, is different. Maxey is the starting point guard on a team with Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, Seth Curry, and championship aspirations. Maxey must balance playmaking with protecting the ball, while also still finding opportunities to call his own number and put up points himself.
Maxey has nearly doubled all of his counting stats. He has increased his points per game from 8.0 to 16.8 and his assists from 2.0 to 4.5. He has also doubled his rebounding numbers from 1.7 to 3.5.
Maxey has also (albeit slightly) increased his efficiency: While his free throw percentage has stayed identical (87.1%) and his 2-point field goal percentage has actually slightly decreased (down to 50.2% from 51.2%), Maxey has made two significant improvements.
The youngster has doubled his 3-point attempts from 1.7 to 3.4, and while doing so he has also improved his 3-point percentage from 30.1% to 38.0%. All of these changes combine to give Maxey an effective field goal percentage (eFG%) of 52.1%, which is an improvement on the 49.8 eFG% that he recorded during his rookie season.
The case against Tyrese Maxey
Yes, Tyrese Maxey's stats have improved significantly. That being said, he was elevated to the starting role, and his minutes per game more than doubled as well, from 15.3 to 34.5. An argument can be made that many NBA players who see such a significant minutes increase will also see a corresponding increase in their counting stats. They may not necessarily quite double their stats the way Maxey has, but they will definitely increase them.
So, how much of this is actual improvement versus just earning more opportunity and doing what should be done with that opportunity?
Also, in mid-November when many players were in and out of the lineup and Maxey was “The Man,” he put up nearly 25 points per game and limited his turnovers, but it did not lead to many wins as the team remained under .500 during that stretch. Sure, that wasn't all Maxey's fault, as there was considerable roster turnover and he was virtually alone for some games. That being said, he does need to learn how to translate individual success to team success.
Should Tyrese Maxey win Most Improved Player?
While Tyrese Maxey has had an incredible season and certainly deserves the consideration that he has earned, he likely will not win the award this year, nor necessarily should he. His numbers have certainly increased due to talent, but also due to opportunity.
Also, when he was leading the team during Embiid’s absence, his numbers didn’t always translate to winning basketball. That is something he will learn in time. Maxey should have a better case for winning this award if he takes the next step next season, fully meshing with Embiid and taking his averages up to around 23-25 points, seven assists, and five rebounds per game while limiting the turnovers to two or less per game. Also, if he can keep his free throw percentage where it is, or even increase it to around 90% while increasing his attempts to at least four per game, that will provide a significant boost to his case for MIP.
Maxey certainly deserves consideration for this year’s award, but ultimately the award should go elsewhere. It is very rare for second-year players to walk away with MIP honors after the season, and for good reason. If Maxey continues to improve, learns how to play better with Joel Embiid, and takes another individual step forward next season in a way that leads to more team success, he might just find himself taking home MIP honors a year from now.
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