Is Tyrese Maxey on Track To Be An All-Star?

The opening weeks for the Philadelphia 76ers were more than a struggle, dropping games against the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, and most surprisingly the San Antonio Spurs, who haven't beaten Philadelphia since December 2018. 

The nine-point loss to the fairly-youthful Spurs was sure to surprise fans from around the league given the team's performance over the previous two seasons.

Since then, the Sixers have turned a new leaf, winning four of their five games, with their most emphatic win coming against the Toronto Raptors in a 112-90 exhibit of their offense.

During these time periods, James Harden has been coming up big, and Joel Embiid has been partially absent, only appearing in the Sixers' wins over the Indiana Pacers, and the Chicago Bulls.

This isn't to say that Embiid hasn't played a huge role, as the big man sunk a three late in the fourth quarter which ultimately closed the door on the Bulls.

On the other hand, James Harden has come up big for the Sixers in their starting games, but when it comes to individual scoring, The Beard's numbers have been shaved down.

In recent games, his points per game have dropped down, which coincides with an 11 percent drop in accuracy from the field. This scoring plunge has seen a rise in his assist numbers, with Harden tying his career-high of 17-assists on Monday against the Wizards. 

One player who hasn't dropped the ball, but rather stepped up as of yet, is Tyrese Maxey.

In his recent five games, the former Kentucky guard is averaging 30 points per game, thanks in part to his career-high 44-point night against the Raptors.

After seeing this, it's not surprising that Maxey is finding himself as the team's leading scorer night after night, getting the most points or tied for the most in four of the Sixers' nine games played so far.

A slept-on part of his game is his accuracy on the field, which is usually tucked away behind his rim-running style of play.

Going into his tenth game of the season, Maxey is shooting 51 percent from the field, which sees the third-year guard in some elite company, shooting the same as or better than Luka Doncic (51 percent), Devin Booker (50 percent), and even reigning NBA Finals MVP Steph Curry (47 percent).

This elite company is also shared when looking at Maxey's 46 percent three-point accuracy, which places him within the 93rd percentile, above Curry, Damian Lillard, and catch-and-shoot specialist Duncan Robinson.

If Maxey continues to play in such great form, it wouldn't surprise anyone to see the young guard be awarded his first All-Star appearance after playing in the 2021-22 Rising Stars Challenge.

Declan Harris contributes to All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him on Twitter: @DecIanH.

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