Tyrese Maxey’s improved playmaking is what the Sixers need

The potential of a Ben Simmons trade is looming over the Philadelphia 76ers. Due to the fact that a deal is yet to be made it has left a lot of things in limbo. Including, what’s going to happen at the point guard depth chart moving forward.

Outside of Simmons, this roster has been devoided of a true playmaker. However, this season, two players have stepped up immensely in Simmons’ absence. The first is Joel Embiid, who should be the front runner for the MVP award this season and the second is Tyrese Maxey.

Prior to this season, Maxey has been a scoring guard with little to no playmaking responsibilities. However, with two retired point guards on the bench in head coach Doc Rivers and assistant coach Sam Cassell, Maxey has slowly become a legit playmaker.

Maxey’s playmaking is a welcome sight for the Sixers.

It’s been a work in progress for the second year point guard in terms of his playmaking. He’s never been a high turnover type of player averaging just 1.2 turnovers this season and 0.9 for his career. That has never been Maxey’s problem as a facilitator.

Maxey use to have tunnel vision when it came to knowing when to score or when to run the offense. However, he’s starting to find that balance. In the past five games, Maxey has averaged 14.2 points, 7.2 assists, and 1.8 turnovers, while converting 42.1 percent from the 3-point line, per NBA.com.

It should be noted that during that five-game stretch he set a career-high in assists with 10 against the Los Angeles Lakers. In that same game, he recorded his first double-double of his career and only had two turnovers.

If Maxey can keep this level of playmaking up, it would take some pressure off of Embiid and would in theory help the other players on the Sixers roster play better as well. It also making it less pressing for the Sixers to add point guard depth at the deadline as well.