Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey has made the proverbial leap to indisputable stardom in 2025-26. Though most 76ers fans agree that he's been there for quite some time, all external doubt has been eradicated by a campaign that should have him moonwalking to All-NBA recognition.
One hurdle that has recently presented itself, however, is a drastic decrease in efficiency from beyond the arc—an issue the All-Star break should help resolve.
Maxey, now a two-time All-Star, is in the midst of the best season of his already remarkable career. The 2024 Most Improved Player is averaging 28.9 points, 6.8 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 2.0 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 3.3 three-point field goals made on .469/.379/.889 shooting.
Maxey has also played 52 of the 76ers' 54 games and leads the NBA in minutes played per contest at a mind-blowing 38.6.
Philadelphia has needed every game and minute he's played, as starters Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Kelly Oubre Jr. have all missed at least 22 games. Unfortunately, the unrivaled combination of minutes played and two-way workload have seemingly caught up to Maxey.
After shooting 40.9 percent from beyond the arc between his first 36 appearances, Maxey has buried just 30.2 percent of his three-point field goal attempts over his past 16 games.
Tyrese Maxey has been ice cold from 3, but the All-Star break should help
It'd be irresponsible to exclusively attribute Maxey's uncharacteristically poor shooting to hypothetical fatigue. The 76ers have spent the past few months reintegrating Joel Embiid and Paul George, with both generally shuffling in and out of the lineup—and now facing absences yet again.
That alone could've disrupted Maxey's progress and prevented him from staying in rhythm. One simply can't help but acknowledge the correlation between minutes, workload, and shooting.
In addition to leading the NBA in minutes, Maxey is also No. 1 in the NBA in distance traveled on the court per game at 2.80 miles. He holds a distant lead over Amen Thompson, who checks in at No. 2 at 2.70 miles traveled per game.
Not only is Maxey No. 1 in the NBA at 1.60 miles traveled per game on offense, but he's tied for No. 3 in distance traveled per game on defense, as well.
Maxey is also also one of just four players averaging at least 28.0 points and 6.0 assists, with superstar counterparts in Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Nikola Jokic joining him. That reveals how he's not only playing big minutes and running all over the court, but carrying a gigantic workload on offense.
Thankfully, All-Star weekend has allowed Maxey to press pause and get his legs back under him just when it seemed as though his jump shot was going to be lost to fatigue.