3 reasons Tyrese Maxey should have a shot to fill James Harden's role

1. Tyrese Maxey has improved every season in the league. Why wouldn’t he again? 

Tyrese Maxey was a fun little player when the Sixers first drafted him, and the closest thing the NBA has ever had to Sonic the Hedgehog in uniform. He’s a ball of energy, with blinding speed, a pearly-white smile, and an incredible pair of dimples to go with it. He was too fast for opponents but also too fast for himself at times. His flaws faded quickly, though. 

During Maxey’s rookie season, he averaged 8 points per game, 2 assists, and shot 30 percent from three. He started only eight games and almost all of those starts were forced by COVID-related absences. He had some big moments though, including 16 points off the bench in a Game 6 road win against the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals that forced Game 7. 

Maxey carried that momentum into his sophomore season where his averages improved exponentially to 17.5 points per game, 4.3 assists per game, and 43 percent shooting from deep on over four attempts per game. He started 74 of the 75 games he played in. Once again, the Sixers lost in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, this time to the Miami Heat.

His third season in the league was a similar story. His stats improved once again and he established himself as one of the best three-point shooters in the league, and the Sixers once again came up short in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. 

While the Sixers continue to fail at the same hurdle season after season, Maxey’s growth has always shined through this darkness. Perhaps for this season, the fans and the front office should spend more time on harnessing and growing his beaming energy, and less on star power elsewhere. He has earned that much.