Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player on Tuesday night, beating out Chicago Bulls guard Coby White and Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun, the other two finalists for the award.
Maxey, 23, had a breakout season with the Sixers, averaging career-highs of 25.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.0 steal, and 37.5 minutes per game. The fourth-year guard also made a career-best 212 3-pointers.
The Kentucky product received his first All-Star selection of his career, as he transitioned into a bigger role as point guard following James Harden’s trade to the Los Angeles Clippers.
“I have had to take different steps,” Maxey said during an interview with TNT before the Minnesota Timberwolves faced the Phoenix Suns in Game 2 of their first-round series Tuesday night, when he was presented the award.
The 2023-24 Kia NBA Most Improved Player is… Tyrese Maxey! #NBAAwards | #KiaMIP | @Kia Tweet
“In the offseason, I didn’t know what the situation was going to be with James. So, my thing was I have to work on pick and roll every day, working on passing, working on reads.
“Those little things excite me the most because I don’t think I couldn’t have made the plays I’m making this year in recent years. … I just want to be the best possible version of myself.”
Maxey garnered 51 first-place votes, 18 second-place votes, and 10 third-place votes, finishing on 79 ballots and receiving a total of 319 total points.
White was on more total ballots (91), but he had 32 first-place votes, 43 second-place votes, and 16 third-place votes for 305 total points.
Sengun had 92 points in third, followed by Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams in fourth and New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson in fifth.
Philadelphia 76ers star Tyrese Maxey says “it feels great” to win NBA Most Improved Player of the Year
“It feels great,” Maxey said after winning the award. “Somebody like myself who prides myself on putting in a lot of work and outworking people and finding ways to get one percent better every time I get in the gym, it feels good for that to come to light, honestly.”
Additionally, in Philadelphia’s 109-105 victory against the Miami Heat on April 4, Maxey became the first 76er to post 37 points, nine rebounds, 11 assists, one turnover, and five 3-pointers in a game. He ended the first half with 24 points, five rebounds, and seven assists.
It was Maxey’s 15th half with at least 20 points, the most in a season by a Sixers guard since NBA Hall of Famer Allen Iverson (43 in 2005-06). Maxey and Iverson are the only Philadelphia guards to accomplish this feat since 1996-97.
In Philadelphia’s 127-124 victory against the Utah Jazz on Feb. 1, the guard scored a career-high 51 points on 17-of-27 (63%) shooting from the field, 7-of-9 (77.8%) from deep, and 10-of-11 (90.9%) at the foul line.
“We still had chances to win the game. … We can’t dwell on that, we can’t leave the games in other people’s hands, we’ve gotta go out there and take it.”
Tyrese Maxey on the NBA’s Game 2 L2M report Tweet
Of course, the timing for the NBA Most Improved Player of the Year Award is awkward for Tyrese Maxey, considering Monday night’s crazy ending in Game 2 of Philadelphia’s first-round series against the Knicks.
Maxey was one board shy of a triple-double with 35 points, nine rebounds, and 10 assists. However, he had a critical turnover in the final 30 seconds that led to Donte DiVincenzo’s game-winning 3-pointer for the Knicks.
The NBA’s Last Two Minute report was released Tuesday, informing the public that Maxey had been fouled twice on the play in which he committed the turnover.
Furthermore, the Most Improved Player was the first of the league’s season awards to be handed out over the next few weeks. It is the first of four to be awarded this week.
The league’s Sixth Man of the Year award will be announced on Wednesday, followed by the Clutch Player of the Year on Thursday and Coach of the Year on Sunday.
