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Almost from the moment he stepped foot in Philly, Tyrese Maxey was a fan favorite. Between his strong work ethic and happy-go-lucky personality, the young guard has been a great addition to the Philadelphia 76ers.
After playing sparingly throughout his rookie season, things drastically changed for Maxey in Year 2. Due to the circumstances of the Ben Simmons saga, the Sixers had a large hole to fill in their starting lineup. As the best guard on the roster at the time, Doc Rivers entrusted Maxey to be the new full-time starting point guard.
There has never been a moment too big for Maxey, and he took on this challenge with open arms. Thanks to the help of Rivers and assistant coach Sam Cassell, the 21-year-old rapidly developed in his new role. Primarily known as a scorer, Maxey showed he can handle the duties of a traditional point guard.
With this larger role, everyone saw Maxey's production take a huge leap. This season, he has doubled his average in both points (17.4) and assists (4.4) per game from last season.
While many in and around the team regularly praise Maxey, he is beginning to get some league-wide recognition. Most notably during All-Star weekend, when he was selected to play in the Rising Stars Challenge among fellow rookies and sophomores.
The praise does not end there, as a former MVP recently had a lot of nice things to say about Maxey. Prior to the Sixers' matchup with the Brooklyn Nets last Thursday, head coach Steve Nash was asked his thoughts on the second-year guard.
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“A very good player. Great speed and athleticism, a good shooter, can get to the rim, he’s good in transition. Definitely a talented young player,” Nash said of the Philly youngster, per Ky Carlin of USA Today.
When a Hall of Famer and arguably one of the best to ever play the position is giving you praise, you must be doing something right. Recognition like this is the result of Tyrese Maxey's endless drive to become the best version of himself.
“Getting 1% better each and every day” is a motto the former first-round pick lives by religiously. His actions speak for themselves, as he has already added new elements to his game in just his second season. One key area of improvement is his 3-point shooting. After shooting below 30 percent in his lone college season, Maxey is now connecting on 41.9 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc.
Maxey's recent string of games is also turning heads around the league. He has thrived playing alongside James Harden and now has people saying he is the third piece of Philly's Big 3. In the seven games following the All-Star break, Maxey is averaging close to 21 points per game on .571/.576/.815 shooting splits.
Based on what we have seen over the past two years, the sky is the limit for someone like Maxey. Sharing the floor with players the caliber of Harden and Joel Embiid should do wonders for his long-term trajectory. That being said, Nash will surely not be the last opposing player or coach to speak out about the talents of the Sixers young gun.
