Getty The Sixers have a blossoming star on their hands.
The Philadelphia 76ers have a fearsome duo in James Harden and Joel Embiid, but one of the their young guards is blossoming into a star in his own right.
Since Harden’s arrival, Tyrese Maxey appears to have firmly established himself as the team’s third scoring option, effectively knocking Tobias Harris down the totem pole.
Maxey’s emergence as a rising star has called into question just how valuable Harris is to the team, and there’s even chatter he could be flipped into a few new pieces in the offseason.
In Dan Favale’s latest piece for Bleacher Report, he names Maxey as the team’s best young prospect, and it’s hard to disagree with that.
Maxey is Rising Up
GettyTyrese Maxey is emerging as a star.
At just 21-years-old, Maxey has had a meteoric rise within the organization as he went from playing just 15 minutes per game as a rookie to a staggering 35 minutes as well as becoming a starter in his second year.
The Sixers obviously felt good about him, but it’s crazy to look at just how far he’s come so fast, which is why he’s named as their best prospect, despite Matisse Thybulle being on the roster.
Favale argues Harden’s arrival has made Maxey’s improvements even more obvious.
“If anything, he was miscast as a No. 2 option for most the season—and then delivered anyway,” he wrote. “James Harden’s arrival has put him in a more natural third-wheel role, and he, not shockingly, looks even better. His shot quality has gone up, and defenses cannot contend with his speed on straight-line attacks. He is like a human blur when he gets downhill into open space.”
Maxey might be able to be a bonafide number two or even number one option some day, but that’d definitely be a lot of pressure to put on such a young player.
To make things even clearer, Maxey is making history.
“Maxey is clearing 17 points and four assists per game while putting in over 50 percent of his twos and 40 percent of his threes. The last player to hit these statistical touchstones before his 22nd birthday was…absolutely freaking no one,” Favale says.
What’s the Ceiling?
GettyThe future is bright for Maxey and Thybulle.
At this point in time, it doesn’t look like Maxey has any limits to his potential, and Favale agrees.
“Putting any sort of cap on Maxey’s potential officially makes zero sense,” he says. “He isn’t a top-shelf passer, but the improvement he’s made as an outside shooter, both on pull-ups and off the catch, proves that he has year-over-year leaps in him. That he’s already the third-best player on, perhaps, the new Eastern Conference favorite says it all.”
With talks of Bradley Beal potentially joining the team in the offseason, the chances of the Sixers getting even better seem likely, but some fans might question if that’s even worth it. With Maxey continuing to establish himself, Beal wouldn’t even be needed to make the Sixers into a true title contender.
Then again, passing up a talent like Beal wouldn’t be easy, but now it’s making perfect sense on why the team was adamant about holding onto Maxey in any potential Ben Simmons trade. For what it’s worth, they also wanted to keep Thybulle, so it’s clear Philadelphia has big plans for both of their talented youngsters.
READ NEXT: Sixers’ Joel Embiid Speaks Out on New Big Man’s Promising Debut