The Philadelphia 76ers have a pair of veteran superstars leading the way for them in the form of Joel Embiid and James Harden, but they also have a young player who is taking steps forward on an everyday basis.
Second-year guard Tyrese Maxey just finished up a regular season where he averaged 17.5 points and 4.3 assists while shooting 42.7% from deep on 4.1 attempts per game. The continued improvement in his game from having to be the team’s starting point guard in the first half of the season amid the Ben Simmons saga and then having to adjust again to play next to Harden, he showed off a lot of star potential.
ESPN put together their top 25 players under the age of 25 and Maxey, at the age of 21, comes in ranked 24th on the list:
The 21-year-old makes his 25-under-25 debut as one of the most improved young guards in the NBA. Maxey is leading the 76ers in total minutes thanks to his nonstop energy. He has improved his 3-point percentage from 30.4% as a rookie to 42.7% this season, tops on a Philly squad that ranks seventh in the NBA in 3-point accuracy.
He’s one of the least turnover-prone guards in the league (3.65 assist-to-turnover ratio) while putting pressure on opposing defenses with his speed. Continuing to improve as a decision-maker will help Maxey work his way up this list as his game matures.
Maxey will certainly be a huge part of what the Sixers want to do in the playoffs as they prepare for a very tough matchup against the Toronto Raptors with Game 1 starting on Saturday.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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