December 12, 2024
As has been the case for most members of the Sixers, the 2024-25 season has not been kind to All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey. Maxey, who entered the year considered one of the best young shooters in the world, has made just over 40 percent of his shot attempts and below 30 percent of his long-range tries. When his team was sputtering, a hamstring injury which initially seemed minor ended up costing Maxey six games — five of which the Sixers lost as he watched from the bench.
In the first season of a five-year max contract worth north of $200 million, Maxey has underwhelmed in all of the areas in which he has been known to produce extremely well. However, as the 7-15 Sixers look to continue their slow climb of the Eastern Conference standings, the NBA's reigning Most Improved Player Award winner has found a new medium to leave his mark on games: the defensive end of the floor, where Maxey has become adept at forcing turnovers.
Maxey averaged just 0.7 steals per game during the first four years of his NBA career. He never averaged more than one steal per game in any individual season. But 16 games into his fifth campaign, Maxey has nabbed 32 steals — 2.0 per game, tied for fourth-best in the NBA as of Wednesday.
"He certainly has the tools to be a steals guy," Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said after the team's Wednesday practice. "Super fast, super quick, decent hands. He should be in that conversation, I think."
Nurse has always used aggressive defensive coverages, valuing the ability to force turnovers. He has spent years discussing the importance of the possession battle, and the Sixers entered their five-day training camp in The Bahamas with a new slogan: "The Ball Wins," stressing a fairly simple concept: a team which uses more possessions than its opponent will be in an advantageous position.
A review of all 32 steals Maxey has notched thus far this season paints a layered picture: to some degree, the staggering increase speaks to Maxey's improvements utilizing his length and athleticism to become a more active defensive playmaker. But it is also a testament to the Sixers' improved team defense, which has shot up to 12th-best in the NBA despite a rough start and tremendously difficult circumstances.
MORE: Joel Embiid finds peak form in return thanks to Maxey partnership
First, here is a quick table categorizing each of Maxey's steals this season. Examples will be displayed shortly:
| Steal type | # |
| Deflecting pass | 13 |
| Live dribble takeaway | 9 |
| Intercepting pass | 4 |
| Right place, right time (lucky, for lack of a better word) | 6 |
While some of Maxey's steals against live handles jump off the screen, the many which came via deflections or interceptions of passes are the most encouraging examples of his defensive development.
Maxey's length — above average for a guard — and speed — elite for any player — shrink the margin for error of opposing passers, particularly when they are trying to fit the ball into a tight window. Maxey's hands and quickness enable him to casually make plays like this:
Within about a second of switching onto the P&R roll man, Tyrese Maxey uses his length to intercept a bounce pass: pic.twitter.com/z4HuahpGm4
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) December 9, 2024
That steal, though, came on an opportunity which fell into Maxey's lap. What was most impressive on the film was how many times — particularly in recent games — Maxey's steals have come on plays in which the Sixers appear to have deliberately baited opposing players into making risky passes.
Maxey deserves credit for executing the back-end of the plan, but so do Nurse and his team for generating opportunities for him to use the tools which can make him a helpful defensive player.
"We're making a lot more reads as a team that are correct with what we should be doing, which lets him be in the right place to get into some of those passing lanes," Nurse said. "We're funneling the ball where we think it should go and letting him go after some of them. It's good to see."
Tagging the roller, Tyrese Maxey uses his length to poke the ball away and force a turnover, leading to a Sixers transition basket: pic.twitter.com/N1ehvUXkdF
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) December 9, 2024
For much of the season, it has been the Sixers' offense which has prevented them from winning games. Not only does Joel Embiid's return bode well for their eventual progress on that end of the floor, but their improvements at forcing turnovers as a defense serve as a crutch for the team's offense.
Like in the half-court, the Sixers have struggled relative to the rest of the NBA as an offense in transition. But a poor transition offense will always be far more productive than an efficient half-court offense. The best medicine for a team which struggles to score consistently is generating transition opportunities:
| Setting | Points per 100 possessions | Rank among 30 NBA teams |
| Half-court | 90.6 | 27th |
| Transition | 117.4 | 25th |
Stats courtesy of Cleaning The Glass
So, the most tantalizing of Maxey's steals was likely this one, where before he had made contact with the ball he had started preparing to leak out. Maxey taps the ball in the direction of teammate and close friend KJ Martin before darting towards the opposite basket to set up two easy points:
As Tyrese Maxey forces a turnover with a deflection, he makes sure the ball goes towards teammate KJ Martin and dashes in the other direction to set up an easy transition basket: pic.twitter.com/kOK4jY3f9r
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) December 9, 2024
Nurse has long encouraged risk-taking on the defensive end of the floor, generally being of the belief that the occasional extra turnover forced is a fair tradeoff with the occasional four-on-five situation.
Another factor which will encourage these sorts of gambles moving forward, the Sixers hope: the presence of Embiid, the 7-foot-tall stalwart who in addition to scoring 31 points looked terrific as a defender and rim protector in his return to action on Sunday. Embiid has long been one of the NBA's elite floor-raisers not just because of his steady scoring, but also due to his presence around the basket on defense.
Certainly, Maxey's uptick in steals this season is to some degree a reflection of improved focus and execution on his part. But defense is a team effort in every way, and the Sixers' point guard would not be making these statistical strides if not for the infrastructure surrounding him.
With Embiid aiming to work his way back into the Sixers' picture on a full-time basis, Maxey's improved defensive performance — which Nurse estimated has accelerated in just the last few games — could continue on an upward trajectory.
MORE: Mailbag: What should Nurse's starting five be?
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