February 01, 2024
Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey was named an NBA All-Star as an Eastern Conference reserve on Thursday night.
This is the punctuation of the rapid ascension of Maxey, 23, who in his fourth season in the NBA will be part of the All-Star festivities in Indianapolis. Maxey has parlayed his elite athleticism and shooting talent into quickly becoming one of the league's most gifted scorers, averaging 25.7 points and 6.6 assists per game thus far in 2023-24 – both easily career-best marks.
When the Sixers were forced to trade former primary ball-handler James Harden, the keys were handed to Maxey. The biggest question was whether or not he could continue his career-long trend of making a major leap in production from each season to the next. In the most crucial of offseasons, Maxey accumulated a tremendous amount of growth, perhaps more than ever before, and went on to blow away even the most lofty expectations.
While the Sixers' chances of winning a championship hinge on Joel Embiid's health and performance above all else, Maxey's evolution from a bright young prospect to a full-blown star has been the next-biggest reason why the team experienced so much success early in the season before injuries began piling up.
If the Sixers can get back on course and emerge as championship contenders, it will be in large part due to Maxey's remarkable improvement.
making his first #NBAAllStar appearance...
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) February 2, 2024
TYRESE MAXEY! 🚀 pic.twitter.com/YCOHOCA0B7
