Philadelphia 76ers: Tyrese Maxey has All-Star potential

Despite being a late first round pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Tyrese Maxey has already proven to the Philadelphia 76ers he’s more than what his draft spot suggested he would be. As a rookie, he showed flashes of being a very good scorer.

Due to the drama surrounding Ben Simmons, it’s forced the Sixers to make the second year point guard into their starter. Being a starting point guard for a Joel Embiid led team is a lot of pressure.

Yet despite that pressure, not only has Maxey been able to manage the expectation, he’s actually begun to thrive in it. These past two games, not only has Maxey proven he can be a starting point guard in this league, but also he has shown that he has real All-Star potential.

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Maxey has the potential to be an All-Star for the Philadelphia 76ers.

In these past two games, Maxey has averaged 32.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.5 blocks, 1.0 steals, and 1.0 turnover. What’s even more impressive than that is his shooting percentages. He’s made a combined 24-43 from the field, 5-12, and has made all 11 of his free throws in both outings.

While both of those games did end in loss, it’s hard to put much blame on the second year point guard. That being written, the 21-year-old guard does still need to improve as an overall defender and playmaker.

Still, his ability to finish inside the arc is fantastic, plus his improved outside shooting is impressive as well. Just look at the growth from his rookie to his sophomore season.

Per Game Table
Season	Age	Tm	G	GS	MP	FG%	3P%	2P%	eFG%	FT%	TRB	AST	STL	BLK	TOV	PF	PTS
2020-21	20	PHI	61	8	15.3	.462	.301	.512	.498	.871	1.7	2.0	0.4	0.2	0.7	1.3	8.0
2021-22	21	PHI	13	13	35.7	.506	.381	.547	.553	.872	3.8	4.7	0.8	0.7	1.5	2.3	17.1
Career			74	21	18.9	.474	.324	.522	.513	.872	2.1	2.4	0.5	0.3	0.8	1.5	9.6

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/12/2021.

The sample size is small, but the results are hard to ignore. Besides just getting more minutes due to Simmons’ absence, Maxey has clearly improved since his rookie year. It’s hard to forget he’s still just 21 years old and still averaging around 17 points per game.

If Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers allows Maxey to develop properly and gives him the green light to always hunt for his shot, then the young point guard can develop into an All-Star. That means dealing with the growing pains that come along with a young point guard.

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