Rising Philadelphia 76ers star Tyrese Maxey continues to take big strides within the NBA ranks. The 21st pick in the 2020 NBA draft has blown everybody’s expectations out of the water to begin his career.
In his third season, Maxey is averaging 22.8 points and 4.4 assists. He’s shooting 44.8% from the floor and 40.8% from deep despite a recent shooting slump since the injury to James Harden. Maxey has taken up the mantle of creating a Big 3 in Philadelphia with Harden and Joel Embiid to give the Sixers a legitimate chance at a title.
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Compared to the expectations surrounding Maxey when he was drafted, Bleacher Report has given him an A-minus for what he has done in his career thus far:
Breathtaking speed and scintillating long-range marksmanship remain the bedrocks upon which Tyrese Maxey is building his All-Star track. His past few games have been, uh, not so hot. But he’s still good for around 23 points and four assists a night while shooting over 41 percent from behind the rainbow and 45 percent on long twos.
Absences from James Harden and Joel Embiid, some of them overlapping, have spotlighted holes Maxey must fill. Slowed-down orchestration is not natural for him, and the Philadelphia 76ers offense has cratered in the time he and Embiid spend without Harden. Visually, meanwhile, it looks like Maxey has less zest on defense.
More than most, this is an interpretative open to the season. I recognize it as a standout—a relative continuation of Maxey’s offensive lethality in the face of volatile circumstances and lineups and rotations and shifting usage.
The Sixers will need Maxey to quickly break out of this slump, but considering how talented he is combined with his maniacal work ethic, one can assume that he will get back to being an efficient scorer sooner rather than later.
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