The Philadelphia 76ers enter the season with a major hole in the guard with Ben Simmons sidelined as the ongoing commercial saga continues to unfold.
In his absence, they adjusted quickly, handing the keys to the offense to sophomore guard Tyrese Maxey. The 21-year-old has seized his opportunity even more as he continues to show his potential as a keeper, placing himself in competition for Most Improved Player of the Year.
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“He’s just moved on, he’s learning, and he still has a lot to learn,” The 76ers head coach, Doc Rivers said.
“He’s never played in the right position in his life. He’s always been the goal-scorer. We call him the top scorer, obviously amazing. He’s great. you know, the That position is probably the hardest because you don’t just have to know yourself, but you also have to know where everyone is. You have to know what you’re looking for when you run. It’s only going to take time, but I’m patient. bear with it. I’m in no hurry.”
When you look at the numbers, you can easily see that his output doubles along with his minutes. But the reality is that he is scoring more efficiently with a higher number of shots and support to sales ratio is 3.77, compared to 19.4 of the previous season, is particularly outstanding.
| MIN | PTS | AST | REB | STL | ARRIVE | FG% | 3P% | |
| 2021-22 | 34.7 | 16.5 | 4.7 | 3.7 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 46.5 | 36.0 |
| 2020-21 | 15.3 | 8.0 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 46.2 | 30.1 |
Each Glass cleaning, his 7.3 turnover ratio is the lowest among point defenders across the league.
With more time on the pitch and more attacking responsibility, his game is getting tighter and he’s only getting better and better.
Without Simmons on the roster, the 76ers’ forward game has evaporated, plummeting from 12th pace last season to final dead ranking to start this season. Maxey was the only ray of light, getting up and down the floor with his lightning speed, catching the opposing guards out – something head coach Doc Rivers wanted to see more of.
“I’m glad he’s so belligerent,” Rivers said after their game against the Utah Jazz on Thursday night. “I want him to keep going into the belt, using his pace. It was nice to see him at the belt a couple of times (versus Utah). That’s what I like; That’s what he hasn’t done. He’s not in the belt at all [recently]. And the league will take the guys floating and in the middle of the game, but they can’t handle him when he gets to the perimeter… so that’s what we need from him. ”
Maxey’s Floating Plane has become one of his deadliest weapons with his ability to defeat his first man and obtain high deliverance against opposing large men, resulting in the fact that he shot 48.4 percent on those pictures. But as Rivers mentioned, when he’s downhill and hits the basket he’s a whole different matter.
Former Kentucky guard is shooting 58.3% when shot within 5 feet of the basket and of the point guards trying at least 5 shots within 5 feet per game, Maxey is fourth in the tournament for the percentage of goals scored only behind Malcolm Brogdon, Ja Morant and Collin Sexton.
Maxey had a particularly productive time in November, marked by a 30-point consecutive performance against the Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors, becoming the Youngest player in 76ers history do like that.
With Embiid and Tobias Harris sidelined for 9 and 4 games respectively due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols, Maxey has become the 76ers’ primary offensive weapon, averaging 23.7 points on 48 shots. .8% and 42.1% from deep.
“I think it’s just confidence, being yourself, helping the team to be the best they can be,” Maxey said. “I think I’ve become a bit more comfortable with it now and just try to do my part well and help us win.”
Embiid has played in the 76ers the past seven games (4-3) and looked back at his MVP level, and when they returned to performing their offensive behavior through the All-Star big man, Maxey saw the His touch goes down as he tries to navigate his role with the team back to health. In those seven games, Maxey’s numbers dropped 9.7 points per game over 32.3 percent from the scene and 23.1 percent from the 3-point line, but Rivers wasn’t too concerned about the recent blip.
“Where people get lost is when Joel is out, someone has to score,” Rivers told FanNation’s Justin Grasso last week. “It’s like that. When Joel and Tobias are out, someone has to score. When Joel, Tobias and Seth [Curry] out, someone will score more points.
“So when they come back, that doesn’t mean someone is going to score the same number of points. You know, you know, thinking that way? didn’t play well the night before. . It’s going to happen. It’s not just him – I don’t think we played well as a team.”
On December 15th – the date when the majority of freelancers signed on last season became eligible to trade – and any potential deal for Ben Simmons starts to gain momentum, the 76ers will inevitably be looking for an All-Star level point guard in return. But as Maxey continues to develop into an effective goalscorer and leader in their attack, he can position himself as their point guard going forward.
