The Race for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award is wide open

Tyrese Maxey – Philadelphia 76ers

Third-year shooting guard Tyrese Maxey is averaging a career-high 19.9 points per game. He has become a reliable third option for Sixers Head Coach Doc Rivers. Joel Embiid and James Harden will always take the majority of the shots and be the focal points of the offense, but Maxey has become a player that other teams must strategize for; he is far from gun-shy and is not afraid of the big moment.

In an early season victory against the Toronto Raptors, Maxey scored a career-high 44 points. Offensive explosions like these are the reason his teammates trust him and opposing defenders are afraid to sag off of him. Maxey is also a pesky defender. He is averaging 0.9 steals per game this year, meaning most nights he will earn at least one takeaway from the opposing backcourt and may cause additional turnovers that don’t show up on the stat sheet.

If the playoffs were to start today, the Philadelphia 76ers would be in third place in the Eastern Conference. However, they only have two more losses than the first-place Boston Celtics; a number-one seed is not far from their grasp. If the team is able to stay competitive, and Maxey continues to contribute at the rate he has thus far, winning the Sixth Man of The Year Award is a realistic goal for the former Kentucky Wildcat to aim for.