When the Philadelphia 76ers drafted Tyrese Maxey in 2020, projections for the young guard were all over the place. While his electric athleticism, blazing speed and silky smooth floater were easily projectable to the NBA, Maxey’s three-point shot needed significant work after he hit less than 30% of those shots in college.
There was hope among scouts that he could improve this area of his game. Maxey was effective from the free-throw line during his one year at Kentucky, and many talent evaluators argue that free-throw percentage is a more accurate indicator of a player’s long-term potential from beyond the three-point line in the NBA. That’s because there is typically a larger sample size and it allows them to fully demonstrate their shooting form.
The three-pointer is always what would make or break Maxey as a player. It would determine whether he would be a below-average player, a contributing role player, a microwave scorer, a star, or even possibly a superstar.
However, projections were overall fairly bearish on Maxey’s potential to be a true superstar in the league, the kind of guy who could carry a team night in and night out, and who you could pencil in for 25+ points automatically. All that has changed in the early going of the 2023-2024 season.
Maxey quickly built a reputation for himself as a dedicated worker, embracing the grind of the NBA. He has continued to develop his offensive skills, learning to better utilize his speed and athleticism while also becoming one of the most accurate long-range shooters in the league. His leap so far this season makes him the easy early choice for Most Improved Player, with averages of 27.1 points, 6.7 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game also making him a candidate to be an All-Star starter. The Sixers haven't missed a beat without James Harden, running out to a 14-7 record and the fourth-best average point differential in the NBA.
One percent better
Tyrese Maxey lives by the motto “get one percent better every day,” and this can be seen in his work ethic and his growth.
Maxey has always flashed potential, but the Sixers have seen him consistently improve year over year and even improve within a season. If you watch closely enough, you can often even see Maxey make improvements within the course of a game.
For Sixers fans, the young point guard has grown up right in front of their eyes, and he is now ready to make the next step towards stardom, and possibly even superstardom. His potential was evident from his 39-point performance in the infamous “seven Sixers” game, and he quickly built on that performance.
The James Harden effect
Tyrese Maxey saw his role change when the Sixers acquired James Harden in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets in early 2022. Up to that point, due to the absence of Ben Simmons, Maxey had been asked to take on more of a scoring and playmaking role. While he had shown tremendous growth in his scoring, Maxey still struggled frequently with playmaking.
Harden‘s arrival in South Philly offered Maxey the opportunity to focus more on his scoring while observing and learning from Harden's playmaking skills. Maxey became more of a secondary playmaker who feasted on open looks that he was able to find given the tendency of opponents to focus largely on Joel Embiid and The Beard. In particular, Maxey sought out catch-and-shoot opportunities from beyond the arc.
Harden’s time in Philly was essential to Maxey’s growth, but it also hindered Maxey’s ability to truly reach the next level.
In 2023, rumors started swirling of a disillusionment between Harden and Daryl Morey. It became clear that the relationship could not be repaired and that both parties were better off if Harden left Philadelphia. This finally happened when they traded Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers.
With Harden no longer on the team, there was yet another role for Maxey. Early in the 2023-24 season, Maxey has been tasked with being the engine behind the Sixers' offense, and he has answered the bell.
A running mate for Joel Embiid
For all of Joel Embiid’s career in Philadelphia, the Sixers have been looking to find the ideal player to pair with their big man. The player who would complement Embiid the best is an athletic guard who can score at all three levels. This player needed to be somebody with the ability to hit various types of threes, score in the mid-range, and get all the way to the top for easy buckets or assists.
Jimmy Butler and James Harden were the two best examples of this as three-level scorers who could create for themselves and for others while having the potential to go off for 30 or more points on any given night.
Unfortunately, Butler was only in town for half a season. That half-season, however, was the best the Sixers had looked since Embiid came to town, and it was clear from that moment on how important a running mate like Butler was. Markelle Fultz was supposed to be that guy, but unfortunately injuries derailed his career in the City of Brotherly Love.
Harden, meanwhile, was in town for a season and a half, and while he was arguably the best playmaker that Embiid had ever had, his scoring was somewhat inconsistent. Sure, he could still put up 40 from time to time when his patented stepback trey was working, but he wasn't the Harden of old. When his shot was off, he didn't have quite the same burst to get to the rim as he did when he was younger.
However, he showed flashes of what could be, and Tyrese Maxey is stepping up into that role commanding the Sixers' offense. The young guard is not only getting better as a scorer, but as a facilitator as well. His assist percentage is currently blowing away his previous career-high mark as he continues to build chemistry with Embiid and the rest of his teammates.
Of course, it is Maxey's scoring prowess that remains the most impressive thing about him as he gets better and better as one of the top bucket-getters in the league. He has made crucial improvements in several areas to help become what he is now.
Early on in his career, defenses feared Maxey getting to the rim, but they were more than happy to let him fire threes at will. Maxey is now just as lethal from beyond the arc as he is in the restricted area. While his three-point percentage has dipped slightly this season, Maxey is still at just under 40 percent while taking over eight triples per game.
Maxey has truly mastered the art of scoring from beyond the arc. He is a catch-and-shoot sniper who has also developed lethal stepback and sidestep moves that allow him to get a shot off against almost any defender in almost any situation. This has opened up the rest of his game.
Making the most of the free-throw line
Tyrese Maxey has always been a very good shooter from the charity stripe, but just like his three-point shooting, he is now one of the best free-throw shooters in the entire NBA. He is also starting to get more whistles as he establishes himself and builds his reputation in the league. These factors combine to make Maxey essentially a four-level scorer. He can score from beyond the arc, from the mid-range, from the paint, and he is lethal at getting to the line and then converting his attempts.
Maxey is averaging 5.8 foul shots per game, an increase of nearly two shots per game from last season, and he is converting these attempts at an 89.6% rate.
All in all, this makes for a lethal scoring combination. With his development as a playmaker also coming along, Maxey is quickly becoming one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in the NBA and the long-term running mate for Embiid the Sixers have been seeking. If Maxey continues to play at his current pace, he will help elevate the Sixers to new heights while winning Most Improved Player.
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