Dec 8, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) brings the ball up court against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Tyrese Maxey's Triple-Double vs. Bulls Draws Rave Reviews

Originally posted on Philadelphia 76ers on SI
By Justin Grasso | Last updated Dec 9, 2024 8:01 PM ET

Sunday afternoon’s matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Chicago Bulls featured a first for the one-time All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey.

In 42 minutes of action, the former first-round pick secured the first triple-double of his career.

Since entering the NBA, scoring as a two-guard was Maxey’s strong suit. Eventually, he became the Sixers’ primary point guard, which helped him grow as a playmaker, improving his production in the assist department.

While Maxey hasn’t been much of a rebounder throughout his pro career, he plays with a high motor, which allows him to rack up boards if the opportunity arises, just as it did on Sunday afternoon in Chicago.

Prior to Sunday’s game, Maxey secured ten rebounds just once in his career. Last year, when the Sixers faced the Portland Trail Blazers, Maxey had double-digit rebounds for the first time, which helped him pick up a double-double.

On Sunday, Maxey collected 11 rebounds. In order to secure the triple-double, he scored 25 points and dished out 14 assists.

First Career Triple Double

Mr. Tyrese Maxey

25 points (10/22)
14 assists
11 rebounds pic.twitter.com/kjWgh4MZCr
— Sixers Nation (@PHLSixersNation) December 8, 2024

“I really like the assists and the rebounds,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse told reporters. “I know when we sit in Joel a lot, and Joel's rolling, those are going to rack up pretty fast, but I love the defensive rebounding. For him, it's not asking him to become a better defensive rebounder. So chasing the ball is good—that's my favorite part."

It wasn’t a perfect outing for Maxey by any stretch. For the time being, the young star is still working on finding consistency with his shot from deep. Over the last three seasons, Maxey was a 40 percent three-point shooter in over 200 games.

Through his first 16 games this year, Maxey is shooting just 29 percent from deep.

Fortunately for the Sixers, they have a guard who is versatile enough to produce in many different ways. A triple-double on an off-scoring night shows that.

With a second-straight victory in Chicago, Maxey helped the Sixers improve to 7-15 on the season before they head into a small break.

This article first appeared on Philadelphia 76ers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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