Tyrese Maxey has been one of the best guards in the NBA this season. Has his play been enough to secure him an All-NBA team selection?
With All-NBA teams becoming positionless, the competition for spots has never been tougher. Yet, despite a crowded field full of superstars, Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey has played his way into the conversation.
The Athletic named Maxey a "lock" to make an All-NBA Team this season.
Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remain the standard bearers when it comes to guard play. Both operate as offensive engines that dictate tempo, create for others, and score at an elite rate. While Maxey hasn't been at that level this season, he has firmly positioned himself in the tier just below the very best in the NBA.
Maxey's growth has been undeniable. He has transitioned from a secondary option to the primary engine for the 76ers, especially during stretches without Joel Embiid. His scoring versatility has taken a leap, as he can now consistently generate offense at all three levels while handling increased defensive attention.
Where Maxey separates himself is with pace and pressure. He's one of the fastest guards in the league with the ball, constantly attacking gaps and forcing defenses to collapse. Unlike Doncic and Gilgeous-Alexander, who thrive on control and change of pace, Maxey plays with speed and directness. This gives Philadelphia a different kind of offensive weapon.
A more realistic comparison comes with players like Jalen Brunson or Donovan Mitchell, guards who blend elite-level scoring with playmaking. Out of the three, Maxey is the best at getting to the rim. This season, he is attempting 6.1 shots at the rim, which puts him in the 100th percentile league wide. Combine with 64.1% shooting at the rim, and you could make an argument that Maxey has been the most effective rim-attacking guard this season.
That isn't to say Mitchell and Brunson don't have their advantages. Mitchell has been one of the league's premier volume shooters, and he combines that with relentless drives to the paint and improved playmaking. Brunson is one of the most efficient mid-range scorers in the game. This efficiency is particularly impressive, as no one attempts more in the NBA. The guard shoots seven short mid-range jump shots and three long mid-range jump shots, numbers that put him in the 100th and 99th percentile, respectively.
These stylistic differences are what make All-NBA discussions so compelling. Each player brings a unique offensive approach, making it difficult to draw definitive lines between them.
The reality is that Maxey may not yet be on the level of the league's true MVP-caliber guards, but he is progressing year by year and closing the gap. And in a season where he was one of the league's best offensive players, that progression could be enough to earn him serious All-NBA consideration.
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Wes Dixon is a contributing writer to 76ersRoundtable. He can be reached at dixonwesley286@gmail.com