April 22, 2024
Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports
Tyrese Maxey and Coby White, two young and dynamic scoring-oriented guards, have long been considered the favorites to win this season's Most Improved Player Award.
Tyrese Maxey is one of three finalists announced Sunday evening by the NBA to win the league's Most Improved Player Award for the 2023-24 season.
The other two players who have been nominated for the award are fifth-year Chicago Bulls guard Coby White and third-year Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun.
Maxey, the Sixers' fourth-year star, has not yet won a full-season individual award in his NBA career. Maxey just completed his first full regular season as a starting point guard, and has long been considered the heavy favorite to win this award due to once again dramatically increasing his scoring workload.
Maxey has had three summers in between NBA seasons to date, and has managed to put in the necessary work during each one to come back as a considerably better player. His year-to-year trajectory over his four NBA campaigns is remarkable:
| 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 |
| 61 games (8 starts) | 75 games (74 starts) | 60 games (41 starts) | 70 games (70 starts) |
| 15.3 minutes per game | 35.3 minutes per game | 33.6 minutes per game | 37.5 minutes per game |
| 8.0 points per game | 17.5 points per game | 20.3 points per game | 25.9 points per game |
| 2.0 assists per game | 4.3 assists per game | 3.5 assists per game | 6.2 assists per game |
| 1.7 rebounds per game | 3.2 rebounds per game | 2.9 rebounds per game | 3.7 rebounds per game |
| 0.4 steals per game | 0.7 steals per game | 0.8 steals per game | 1.0 steals per game |
| 7.0 FGA per game, 46.2 FG% | 13.3 FGA per game, 48.5 FG% | 15.2 FGA per game, 48.1 FG% | 20.3 FGA per game, 45.0 FG% |
| 1.7 3PA per game, 30.1 3P% | 4.1 3PA per game, 42.7 3P% | 6.2 3PA per game, 43.4 3P% | 8.3 3PA per game, 37.3 3P% |
| 1.1 FTA per game, 87.1 FT% | 3.3 FTA per game, 86.6 FT% | 3.6 FTA per game, 84.5 FT% | 5.4 FTA per game, 86.8 FT% |
| 53.1 TS% | 59.4 TS% | 60.5 TS% | 57.3 TS% |
Someone may ask why Maxey is considered a slam-dunk for Most Improved Player despite seeing a slight dip in his efficiency this season compared to each of his first two as a (mostly) regular starter. In reality, that decline in his shooting percentages actually helps illustrate in a roundabout way: after settling into the NBA as a remarkably efficient scorer with a somewhat limited role playing alongside offensive centerpieces and former MVPs in Joel Embiid and James Harden, 2023-24 was the first time in Maxey's career that he has been routinely tasked with leading an offense.
Maxey was the Sixers' lead ball-handler in an Embiid-centric offense for the first half or so of 2021-22 before Harden arrived in a February trade, moving Maxey to a mostly off-ball role. He was the team's primary shooting guard for all of 2022-23, but Harden's trade demand and ensuing departure to the Los Angeles Clippers paved the way for Maxey to become the team's full-time starting point guard for a full season for the first time in his career.
Maxey's efficiency early in the season resembled his prior marks, but Embiid eventually missing more than half of the season led to Maxey being thrusted into the primary scoring role on a nearly-permanent basis. As any 23 year-old player would in that situation, Maxey experienced some growing pains, but came out on the other side as a much better player, capable of handling significantly greater offensive responsibilities.
After a slow start in Saturday evening's first-round Game 1 loss on the road to the New York Knicks, Maxey posted 21 second-half points on a 9-12 shooting line, repeatedly breaking down Knicks defenders en route to signature finishes at the rim while also knocking down some important triples.
The Sixers ultimately fell short on Saturday, but Maxey's second half performance was massive for several reasons. The most noteworthy reason, of course, was the injury scare suffered by Embiid near the end of the first half and his subsequent reduced productivity in the game's final two quarters.
For now, Embiid and the Sixers appear to have dodged a major bullet -- for now. But with the reigning NBA MVP's status somewhat up in the air, the Sixers are going to be more reliant than ever on Maxey to step up as a scorer. Fortunately, he has been preparing for this moment for four years.
