The Philadelphia 76ers may have been struggling as of late, but that does not erase the fact that they are where they currently stand thanks in large part to Tyrese Maxey, who has had a phenomenal year so far. That is exactly why he is starting to get some love for the Most Valuable Player award — something which a lot of fans have been advocating for.
In the latest straw poll for the MVP award, wherein 100 local and international media members were surveyed, Maxey placed 10th on the list. He received one third-place vote, one fourth-place vote, and a couple of fifth-place votes. He even eclipsed Anthony Edwards, whose team currently touts a better record than Philly.
This only goes to show that Maxey is starting to get real attention from the NBA intelligentsia not only as an All-Star guard, but as a bona fide top-tier talent. Really, this one was difficult to envision happening , but the 76ers have already been reveling in the fact that Maxey has taken a significant leap this season.
Tyrese Maxey gets some love in the latest straw poll for MVP
Maxey has had a hell of a campaign in his sixth year as a pro. he is making the most out of the fact that he is leading the league in minutes per outing, averaging 28.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and two steals a night. Even better, he is shooting 46.5 percent from the field and 37.4 percent from three-point range, which are both much improved figures from last season.
No, he is not without his faults. His playmaking and vision still leave a lot to be desired and his decision-making during crunch time remains shaky and questionable at times, but if those are the things to nitpick about his game, then the 76ers should be very happy.
The best aprt about his surge is the fact that he is still at least a couple of years away from his prime as a 25-year-old. With some more improvements on that end, he should be able to keep climbing the ranks and possibly garner a handful of individual hardware.
Of course, all of those are conditioned on the 76ers also winning meaningfully. But with Tyrese Maxey already being this elite despite some clear flaws in his game, the franchise should rest easy knowing that they already have a firm choice for their franchise centerpiece.