Once a source of immense disappointment and frustration in the Delaware Valley, the Philadelphia 76ers have been much, much better than expected to start the 2023-24 season. Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey have both been excellent and have the Sixers playing as well as almost any team to start the campaign.
The Sixers have seen numerous pleasant surprises to start the season. Kelly Oubre Jr., whose great start to the season was temporarily derailed but is soon getting back on track, has been the exact type of team defender and off-ball scorer Philly needs. Tobias Harris has scored with increased efficiency and frequency at the rim. Nicolas Batum and Robert Covington, inclusions in the James Harden trade, have fortified the depth.
Of course, there’s also Embiid, who is changing his style of play and getting even better for the second straight season. But it's his co-star whose improvement has been the most important early-season development for Philly.
Maxey has not only performed very well to start the season but has done so in a way that can elevate the Sixers. His playmaking leap has been the most pleasant surprise early in Philly's 2023-24 season.
Tyrese Maxey's playmaking has been fantastic
If the pressure of a bigger role is getting to Tyrese Maxey, he's doing a remarkable job of not showing it with his words or with his play. His elite work ethic and can-do attitude have saved the Sixers from a bleak timeline where they have to trade Embiid because he has no legitimate stars around him. (Credit to Mike Muscala for preventing that timeline, too.)
To start the 2023-24 season, Maxey is putting together a season worthy of being an All-Star, if not All-NBA, honoree. In addition to being an elite three-point shooter and lethal scorer, he's becoming a very good playmaker.
Maxey's 6.7 assists per game are obviously a career-high but so is his assist percentage of 27.5, indicating that legitimate growth as a playmaker is responsible for improvements in his game, not simply an influx of minutes. Per 100 possessions, his previous career-high was 6.2 assists. This year, he's at 8.4, which is made all the more impressive considering he's also a career-high in points per game (27.0) and points per 100 possessions (34.2) without sacrificing his remarkable scoring efficiency.
But what’s just as remarkable for Maxey is that his assists have seen explosive growth while his frequency of turnovers has declined. His 0.7 turnovers per game are a career-high but his 6.4 turnover percentage, which is a closer measurement of how often a player commits a turnover during their time on the floor, is a career-low. The ball has been in Maxey's hands more and he has significantly upped his security with it.
The Sixers very clearly need another legitimate ball-handler. No one can reliably penetrate the defense from the perimeter aside from Maxey. When anyone else has to dribble through a tight window between two defenders, Philly might as well start readying its transition defense. That hasn’t stopped Maxey from propelling the offense to heights not reached by the duo of Embiid and James Harden, who had much more experience as a lead-ball handler (as well as help from a still-developing Maxey).
What is additionally impressive about Maxey's playmaking is that it doesn’t fall all the way off when Embiid sits. With the big man on the court with him, Maxey notched 8.9 assists per 100 possessions. Without him, they’re at 7.5, which is still higher than what guys like Jrue Holiday, Donovan Mitchell, Dejounte Murray and Stephen Curry have this season.
Although he was previously capable of making such reads as kick-outs to the corner on one of his drives, many of Maxey's assists came in connective fashion, such as swing passes around the perimeter. Now, Maxey has more opportunities to open up advantages himself and has refined his pocket passes to make the fit with Embiid seamless and less predictable. In a relatively short amount of time, he has harnessed his speed and advanced his passing IQ up to a level that matches it.
Maxey and Embiid are a cheat code in dribble handoffs and can very capably run a typical pick-and-roll. When the Sixers want to go fast, there's no one better to lead the break than Maxey, who covers ground like nobody’s business. It's not hyperbole to call him one of the most dynamic offensive players in the NBA right now, as he is one of just 11 players with per-game averages of at least 25 points and five assists with a true-shooting percentage of at least 58.
The maturity in Tyrese Maxey's game is skyrocketing. Not only is he growing as a playmaker but the frequency at which he gets to the free-throw line is up. He's utilizing change-of-pace moves and making tough threes off the dribble. The way he and Embiid attack defenses has made them a dangerous tandem that looks strong enough to withstand the might of playoff-caliber defenses.
The Sixers are still looking for roster upgrades but one thing they don’t need is a co-star that fits with Embiid. Maxey is already better than anyone could have expected — and he got there way quicker than even his most ardent believers thought possible. Through his playmaking growth, Maxey is making a statement to the rest of the league that he’s not a rising star, he's a star right now.
Follow Us
Subscribe