Tyrese Maxey is one of the most dynamic scorers in the NBA, but the Philadelphia 76ers desperately need him to stop settling for pull-up jump shots. It's the one area in which he consistently struggles to convert with any semblance of efficiency.
With this in mind, the onus is on Maxey to return to his All-Star standard by placing a greater emphasis on drives, catch-and-shoot opportunities, and perhaps even midrange jump shots.
It's difficult to evaluate Maxey's 2024-25 campaign as anything other than a product of unique circumstances. He ranked third in the NBA in field goal attempts per game, due in no small part to Joel Embiid missing 63 outings and Paul George being absent from 41.
Even promising rookie Jared McCain was sidelined for 59 games—and breakout wing Quentin Grimes didn't arrive in Philadelphia until February.
As such, it's fair to believe that Maxey will get back to shooting at the efficient rate that made him an All-Star in 2023-24. He finished that season at 25.9 points per game on .450/.373/.868 shooting, and accumulated a slash line of .469/.404/.861 between 2012-22 and 2023-24.
If Maxey is going to return to the ranks of the best players in the Eastern Conference, however, then he'll need to place more of an emphasis on the shots he excels at—and greatly decrease his pull-up threes.
Tyrese Maxey must stop settling for pull-up threes in 2024-25
It's difficult to tell a player who shot 40.4 percent on threes over a three-year arc to stop just because of one anomaly of a year at 33.7 percent. That's exactly why he isn't being advised to shoot fewer threes, but instead change his approach to attempting shots from distance.
The difference between Maxey in 2023-24 and the player he was in 2024-25, however, wasn't just a matter of his surroundings—it was the manner in which he processed the game.
Maxey only attempted 1.1 more three-point field goal per game between 2023-24 and 2024-25, but that's a number without context. He averaged 3.1 catch-and-shoot three-point field goal attempts per game in 2023-24, as well as 4.9 pull-up attempts.
In 2024-25, the latter number jumped to 6.0 pull-up three-point field goal attempts per game—a puzzling choice considering he shot just 32.5 percent in said scenarios.
It wasn't a new development, either, as Maxey shot just 32.8 percent on pull-up threes in 2023-24. He's experienced success in the past, shooting 38.7 percent in 2022-23, but he did so while attempting 2.6 per game—2.3 and 3.4 fewer than his averages in 2023-24 and 2024-25.
For perspective: Maxey shot 44.4 percent or better on catch-and-shoot threes in every season between 2022-23 and 2023-24, when his efficiency and accolades peaked.
Tyrese Maxey must prioritize drives, catch-and-shoot 3s
2023-24 was an excellent example of how Maxey can balance the demands of a high-volume role with the manner in which he most often succeeds. He shot 31.8 percent on pull-up jump shots, with only 27.9 percent of his conversions being assisted.
By comparison, Maxey shot 58.3 percent on layups, 63.3 percent on finger rolls, and 46.1 percent on his 13.3 drives per game—producing 9.9 points per contest in the latter scenario.
Fast forward a season and Maxey averaged 10.3 points on 48.0 percent shooting via drives. A skill that he turned into a high-volume element of his game en route to the 2023-24 Most Improved Player award had been refined and even more effectively utilized in 2024-25.
Unfortunately, Maxey couldn't seem to help but throw up long jumpers off the bounce that simply haven't been efficient options for him at any point over the past two seasons.
With this in mind, the 76ers need Maxey to strike a healthier balance between settling for pull-up jump shots and attempting to get to the basket. If that ultimately results in him attempting fewer shots, then that's a development he'll need to adapt to overcome.
If Maxey does so, then perhaps he can place an even greater emphasis on his most unstoppable skills and become the player the 76ers need him to be in order to contend.