Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey was recently interviewed by HoopsHype. During the conversation, Maxey was asked to share what he believes is the most underrated element of his game. His answer was twofold: His shooting and his defense.
Though Maxey is by no means a role player, the 3-and-D elements of his game will decide the legitimacy of the 76ers' championship aspirations given his star teammates' limitations.
Maxey is coming off of a season in which he legitimized his status as one of the best players in the NBA. He earned All-NBA honors by leading an injury-plagued 76ers team to 45 wins and the second round of the playoffs. Despite his success, he perhaps justifiably still believes certain elements of his game are underrated.
During an interview with Sam Yip of HoopsHype, Maxey was asked what he feels the most underrated part of his game is. He gave a two-pronged answer, highlighting his shooting and his defense.
"Underrated part of my game is my shooting. My shooting, my catch-and-shoot, three-point shooting, that's probably one of the most underrated parts of my game. Then my defense. Competitive at the other end. I get stops. I'm very good at getting steals and getting blocks and different things like that. So that's probably another thing that I feel like is underrated."
Though Maxey will be far more than a 3-and-D player in 2026-27, those two elements of his game will go a long way toward deciding how effective the 76ers' new-look starting lineup can be.
Tyrese Maxey's shooting and defense will be the glue to 76ers' lineup
Philadelphia has built a starting five that could either dominate the NBA or struggle to become a cohesive unit. There doesn't appear to be much of a middle ground, as Jaylen Brown, V.J. Edgecombe, Joel Embiid, LeBron James, and Maxey are all fantastic individual players who have grown accustomed to playing with the ball in their respective hands.
The primary cause for concern in that respect: Maxey is the only one of those five players who shot at least 36.0 percent from beyond the arc during the 2025-26 season.
Though he shot a not necessarily elite 36.7 percent from distance, the context of his success is exactly what he mentioned: He's remarkable in catch-and-shoot situations. This past season, Maxey buried 41.7 percent of his catch-and-shoot three-point field goal attempts.
It was the fourth time in five years that Maxey has shot at least 40.0 percent on catch-and-shoot threes. It also epitomizes how valuable he'll be in an offense that has a surplus of on-ball specialists.
Tyrese Maxey will need to be a star and a great role player for 76ers
As for his defense, Maxey's playmaking ability on that end of the floor is nothing short of invaluable. His impact ranges beyond the box score, however, as he also ranked in the 66th percentile in perimeter isolation defense, the 84th percentile in ball screen navigation, and the 96th percentile in off-ball chaser defense, per Basketball Index.
In other words: Maxey doesn't compromise his defensive intensity for opportunities on offense. That's perhaps the most important element of his game entering 2026-27.
Ideally, Brown and Edgecombe will continue to rank among the better defenders at their respective positions. James has limitations at 41 years of age, however, and Embiid's lengthy history of knee injuries have depleted some degree of his mobility. That puts immense pressure on the younger perimeter players to anchor the efforts.
As the franchise player and a leader of the team, it will be on Maxey to set the tone for those around him and plug the holes that the 76ers will inevitably have.
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