When Joel Embiid went down with his meniscus flap tear in late January. A season that showed so much promise was turned upside down for the Philadelphia 76ers. When all hope seemed lost, first-time All-Star Tyrese Maxey stepped up to keep the season alive for them. By becoming a playmaker for them. As a result he became the new franchise player for the Sixers. If he keeps playing like this the city will be called Maxedelphia.
Maxedelphia: How Tyrese Maxey Changes Everything
The Sixers drafted him with the 21st pick in the First Round of the 2020 NBA Draft. He fell to them there and it’s the best decision Philly ever made. Maxey has starred in his role so far in his three-year career. He has gone from a role player and sixth man to one of the fastest rising stars in the NBA. Last week, he hit the 65-game threshold and is eligible for a five-year $205-million-dollar supermax deal if he is named to an All-NBA team. The Sixers will prioritize re-signing him because he is the best sidekick and future star Philly has had in the Embiid era.
Constant Improvements
Maxey keeps improving with every game, the biggest weakness in his game when he was drafted was that he could not consistently make three-pointers. Not anymore, he is making 37.4% of his three-pointers, and that percentage will only go up with the imminent return of Joel Embiid by the end of this week. He is averaging 25.6 points per game, has a 44.6% field goal percentage, and is averaging six-point-two assists per game. Numbers like these have really shown that Maxey can be a franchise player for the Sixers right now.
Impact
The Sixers are a team that needed a playmaker to help take the scoring load off of Embiid. Especially after the James Harden trade in early November. Maxey stepped into that role and at times during this season he has made the biggest impact with his playmaking ability. Finding a teammate wide open for a high-percentage shot that helped Philly win games.
His playstyle is adaptable to whatever the team needs are during a contest. He has gotten better on the defensive end and has averaged one steal per game during this season. All of these improvements are happening in the fourth year of his career. Maxey was rewarded with an All-Star selection. Additionally, he is one of the top contenders for the Most Improved Player award. Maxey is currently doing things that a guard on the Sixers roster has not done since Allen Iverson.
Championship Window
Most people consider Philly a title contender as long as Embiid is on the floor. However, with Maxey’s ascension included the Sixers seemed to be destined to be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. As long as both players can stay healthy. After all the assets they got back in the Harden trade they have one of the lengthiest defensive teams in the league. Furthermore they have among the most cap space in the league this offseason. As long as Embiid and Maxey are on the roster the Sixers should be able to win a championship in the next two to three years.
