76ers' Tyrese Maxey Wins 2023-24 NBA Most Improved Player of the Year Award
Mike Chiari@@mikechiari
Featured Columnist IVApril 23, 2024
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey was named the 2023-24 NBA Most Improved Player on Tuesday.
It was an extremely close vote for Maxey over Chicago Bulls guard Coby White:
Houston Rockets' Alperen Şengün finished third.
In his fourth NBA season, Maxey set career highs across the board, averaging 25.9 points, 6.2 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 3.0 three-pointers made and 1.0 steal per game in 70 contests. He also shot 45.0 percent from the field and 37.3 percent from beyond the arc.
Maxey was the No. 21 pick in the 2020 NBA draft out of Kentucky, and while he played sparingly as a rookie, he has improved by leaps and bounds each year since then.
He finished sixth in the NBA Most Improved Player voting in 2022 after averaging 17.5 points, 4.3 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game and followed that with averages of 20.3 points, 3.5 assists and 2.9 rebounds per contest in 2022-23.
Expectations were high for Maxey entering the 2023-24 campaign, but he performed better than anyone could have anticipated.
A big reason for his leap forward was the health of superstar center and 2022-23 NBA MVP Joel Embiid, who was limited to 39 games this season.
With Embiid missing significant time, Maxey stepped up as the Sixers' go-to guy on the offensive end, and he put the team on his back for extended periods.
At just 23 years of age, Maxey looks like he has the potential to be a perennial All-Star and one of the NBA's biggest stars for many years to come.
If his career arc to this point is any indication, Maxey may be able to parlay the NBA Most Improved Player Award into an even bigger performance and season in 2024-25 as well.
