Is Tyrese Maxey Already The Sixers Second Superstar? Early Returns Say Yes

The Sixers' number one priority has always been getting another superstar next to Joel Embiid. It was supposed to be Ben Simmons, but he never reached those heights. For a bit, it was James Harden, but he forced his way out because he didn't like having to be a team player. And the question all offseason was who could the Sixers trade for that can be that second Superstar next to Embiid. Names like Damian Lillard, Bradley Beal, and Zach Lavine have all been brought up at some point. But what if the answer is already on the team? Because in the first 9 games, Tyrese Maxey sure looks like a superstar.

Is it way too small of a sample size? Yes. 9 games is not enough to crown any player. But with all of that said, it has been a damn good 9 games. Including Sunday night where he put up 50 points on the Pacers, a new career high.

The good news is, the Sixers have plenty of time to figure out if this early season greatness is real or not. You cannot trade a player until 60 days after acquiring them. And any type of big trade they make will probably include at least some of the players they just acquired in the Harden deal. Harden was traded Oct 31st. So they would not be able to make any move until January anyway.

So over the next month and a half, the play of Maxey could have huge implications on what they need to do before the trade deadline. Because it Maxey is still playing like this, he is the second Superstar. And then you are looking for someone to complement the both of them. That player would not necessarily have to be an elite scorer. They just need to be another good player who fits into what the Sixers are currently doing.

Maxey is averaging 28.6 points per game. That is 9th in the NBA. He is just ahead of Anthony Edwards and Jayson Tatum and just behind Giannis Antetokounmpo. In 8 of his 9 games, he scored at least 20 points, in 3 of them he scored 30, and of course there was the 50-point game. Even before that 50-point game, which is throwing off the numbers a bit, he was averaging 25.9 points per game, which would still be 14th in the league. The Sixers are the only team with two players in the top 15 of scoring, and only the Bucks have two players in the top 20.

At least so far, Maxey has developed into an elite score. We will get to his elite 3-point shooting in a bit, but he also has that runner that is unstoppable.

Tyrese Maxey is shooting 43.1% from 3. And this is one number we can say is not a small sample size. Last year he shot 43.4%, which was the best number for anyone who averaged at least 20 points per game. The year before it was 42.7%. This is just who Maxey is. He is one of the best 3-point shooters in the league. There were some people concerned not having Harden getting him open looks would hurt that. But he has been just as good and looks more adept at creating his own shot than ever.

Perhaps the most impressive jump by Maxey is on the defensive end. Defensive Rating is not a perfect stat, but this year Maxey has a Defensive Rating of 109.2, improved from 112.6 last year. His Defensive Rating through 9 games is actually better than both Embiid and Harris. There were times last year when Maxey was a liability on that end of the ball. Now he may even be a positive on that end. Nick Nurse talked about it as an area Maxey needs to work on, and at least so far that work is paying off.

Maxey also has 7.2 assists per game. A couple of years ago, before the Harden trade, they were forced to experiment with Maxey as the PG. He performed admirably in the role, but it was clear he was not entirely comfortable in the role. But he has looked great as the PG this year. To be fair it's not 100% on him. There is so much ball movement in Nurse's system that it does not always fall on Maxey to get guys open. But he is still making good smart passes and is 10th in the league in assists.

What makes those 7.2 assists per game more impressive is the fact he only averages 1.1 turnovers per game. His usage rate has gone up, but his turnovers have actually gone down. Maxey never had a turnover issue to begin with. But stepping into this new role, it is impressive to see he is taking such good care of the ball.