NBA Analyst Sets High Expectations for 76ers Young All-Star

If the 76ers need 30 PPG out of Tyrese Maxey, one NBA analyst believes he can do it.
Oct 14, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) dribbles against the Atlanta Hawks in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Oct 14, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) dribbles against the Atlanta Hawks in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images
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If there is one thing that Tyrese Maxey proved since joining the Philadelphia 76ers, it’s that the one-time All-Star excels at improving his game, especially in the scoring department.

Every year since Maxey was drafted to Philadelphia, he averaged a new career-high.

Will the fifth season take it to another height?

Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey after a game against the Hornets/
Dec 16, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) and guard Tyrese Maxey (0) react during the second half against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

NBA Analyst Sets a High Bar

Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor liked what he saw out of Maxey during a recent preseason outing.

He went as far as saying Maxey can “push 30 PPG.”

There’s already plenty of evidence that Maxey can go out and score 30 if he’s the focal point of the offense. In fact, the young guard has multiple 40 and 50-point outings under his belt.

While averaging 30 points isn’t totally out of the question for Maxey, his co-stars would certainly make it difficult.

Joel Embiid has been one of the NBA’s most dominant scorers in recent seasons. In two of the last three years, he was crowned the NBA’s scoring champion. Before he went down with a knee injury last year, Embiid was on pace for his third-straight scoring title.

The Sixers also added Paul George to the mix. While George’s career-high is 28 points per game in a single season, he hasn’t averaged fewer than 21 points since his days with the Indiana Pacers.

The good news is there isn’t pressure on Maxey to average 30 for a year. Knowing they have other scorers to feed, but can get 30-plus out of the young All-Star is a good situation to be in for the 76ers.


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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA