With each passing game, the Philadelphia 76ers are starting to relize their potential as a championship-caliber club thanks to their embarrassment of riches in the talent department. Fans and pundits alike are starting to see signs of what this team is capable of, and it is certainly night and day compared to the sickening on-court product they put out to start the season.
Joel Embiid is starting look like his dominant self, tremendously lifting the 76ers’ ceiling as long as health permits. Paul George has not turned out like the game-changer he was expected to be just yet, but really, his shot should climb back to normalcy soon enough. Meanwhile, the other role players are also starting to find their groove on both ends of the court.
One big part of the equation deliberately ommitted from the previous paragraph is Tyrese Maxey. After winning the Most Improved Player award last season in resounding fashion, expectations for him have gotten way loftier, which have also subjected him to higher standards heading into the season. However, he hasn’t quite reached those just yet thanks to this big problem.
Tyrese Maxey needs to fix this big problem ASAP to help the 76ers get back to contention
This season, Maxey is averaging nearly the same points per game as in the previous campaign, but is shooting the ball less efficiently, draining just 42.1 percent of his shots —- easily a career-worst mark for the 24-year-old. He’s also converting just 34 percent ofhis three-point tries, the lowest figure he’s tallied on that end since his rookie year.
However, the bigger picture is undermined by the numbers. Maxey has plateaued this season as a scorer, which is perhaps understandable given what he’s facing night in and out, but the reality is that his impact elsewhere for the 76ers has not been felt at all, going by the raised standards he’s now subject to.
Save for a drastic uptick in steals per outing, Maxey has become a one-dimensional scorer who has not progressed much in other areas. His playmaking, an urgent point of emphasis for him especially given the team’s organic make-up, has not improved; his assists per contest diminishing this season all while his turnovers have increased.
His shot selection has left a lot to be desired, and save for some heroic efforts in the clutch, he has been a dicey operator in late-game situations. Overall, his maturity is still in the works, which is perfectly fine for a 24-year-old, but not for an ambitious and desperate team like the 76ers. He’s not even a lock to make the All-Star team this season.
The hard fact remains that the Philadelphia 76ers go where Joel Embiid, their best player, takes them. But it would take more than the superstar to get back into contention, and pushing Tyrese Maxey to solve the puzzle, which he is perfectly capable of as a franchise cornerstone, will be what raises their floor as a squad.