The players coming out of the 2020 NBA draft have faced many challenges in their first couple of seasons. Along with a shortened training camp and no summer league, they have had to deal with the challenges that came with the pandemic and are now in their first 82-game season as sophomores.
Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey has handled everything that has been thrown at him pretty well as he has been able to make huge strides in his second season in the league.
Tasked with having to do much more amid the Ben Simmons saga, Maxey didn’t skip a beat. He is averaging 17.4 points and 4.3 assists while shooting 43.5% from deep as a second-year player. He has been absolutely impressive as a 21-year old.
ESPN put together their top five rankings of sophomore players in the league and Maxey came in No. 5:
He gives Philly a totally different dimension in the open court as the perfect counterbalance to Embiid and Harden’s more methodical, isolation-heavy style of play (the Sixers rank 26th in pace). But when Maxey’s at the controls, he’s looking to unleash his elite end-to-end speed with regularity, and good things happen when he puts pressure on the rim as he’s the second-most efficient transition scorer in the NBA behind only Mikal Bridges.
Maxey has exceeded expectations in a big way through his first two NBA seasons, and he has the type of motor, confidence and microwave scoring ability to win a game or two for the Sixers this postseason. Don’t be surprised to see the 21-year-old guard as high as No. 3 on this list at this time next season if he continues progressing.
If the past is any indication, Maxey will continue to get better. The kid has a maniacal work ethic and he has proven that he can handle anything thrown his way. It will be interesting to see what kind of jump he takes over the summer and leading into his third season in the league.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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