Philadelphia 76ers All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey was named the NBA Most Improved Player on Tuesday night. Maxey’s scoring rose for the third consecutive year, and he finished the regular season averaging 25.9 points, 6.2 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game — all career bests.
Appearing on NBA TV, the 76ers star reacted to winning the award:
Said Maxey, “I’ve always been a guy that preaches work…Every single day, every single summer, I strive to be the best possible version of myself. For me to win this award is a testimony to the work that I put in.”
Amazingly, Maxey was sixth in the Most Improved Player voting two years ago, a tribute to the jump he made between his first and second seasons in the NBA.
NBA players often see their numbers increase when given a new role, but Maxey took things to a new level. Two years ago, he averaged 17.5 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.2 rebounds in 35.3 minutes per game for the 76ers. This year, he topped all those numbers and averaged only two more minutes per game.
“It feels great,” Maxey said on the TNT broadcast where the award was announced. “Somebody like myself, who prides myself on putting in a lot of work and outworking people and finding ways to get 1% better every single time I step in the gym, it feels good for that to come to light, honestly.”
Maxey tops White, Sengun for MIP
Chicago Bulls guard Coby White finished in second place, just 14 points behind the 76ers guard’s total of 319.
The 6-foot-5, 195 pound White averaged 19.1 points per game while shooting nearly 45% from the field. His smooth and joyful all-around game along with his throwback hairstyle had fans thinking of 1970s basketball as White glided, sliced and diced his way through even the best NBA defenses en route to a promising season for Coach Billy Donovan’s Bulls.
White’s incredible distinction came during a week in which Chicago was eliminated from the Play-In Tournament after a blowout loss to the Miami Heat.
Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun finished in a distant third place, more than 200 points behind the 76ers’ Maxey.
That he finished third in the voting despite missing the final month of the season with a leg injury is a testament to the season that Sengun had.
From the bits and pieces of potential Sengun displayed in his sophomore season, it came into full force this year. Soaring from an average of 14.3 to 21.1 points, the 21-year-old emerged as the Rockets’ top scorer. With 9.3 rebounds and five assists per game, Udoka harnessed his skills as a secondary facilitator and inside scorer, effectively pairing him with the newly acquired veteran Fred VanVleet.
Sengun did virtually everything on the court this season, raising his usage rate this season to 27% and assist percentage to 24.8%.
While White and Sengun are both done for the season, Maxey and the 76ers will take on the New York Knicks in game 3 of their first-round playoff series on Thursday.
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