Way too early predictions for the 2024 Most Improved Player Award

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 15: Mikal Bridges #1 of the Brooklyn Nets reacts after a made basket against the Philadelphia 76ers during Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs at the Wells Fargo Center on April 15, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Nets 121-101. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

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Tyrese Maxey Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

Tyrese Maxey- Philadelphia 76ers

In his third season in the NBA, Tyrese Maxey averaged 20.3 points per game as a part-time starter for the Philadelphia 76ers. At times, he played point guard and was tasked with feeding superstar center Joel Embiid the ball in the right spots. In other instances, he was instructed to get buckets while Embiid and James Harden took a breather. Regardless of the assignment, Maxey followed Doc Rivers’ instructions masterfully and the Sixers were better for it.

The elephant in the room is the uncertainty surrounding Harden’s future. Although he opted into his contract for next season and has made the decision to forego free agency, the Sixers are actively seeking a trade for him. The rumors are too numerous to name here; they range anywhere from Embiid trying to convince him to stay in the City of Brotherly Love, to Harden being reunited with Russell Westbrook as a member of the LA Clippers.

Whatever happens, will have a direct impact on Maxey’s future. If Harden is traded, Maxey will most likely become the team’s full-time floor general and be forced to relinquish his role as the leader of the second unit. This could mean a dip in points per game, but it would not mean a decrease in overall productivity. Maxey’s feel for the game has proven to be good enough that he can adjust to playing with different lineups and be effective no matter what he is called upon to do.

Last year’s underwhelming performance by Philadelphia in Games 6 and 7 of the Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics left a bitter taste in the mouths of Sixers fans. In Maxey, the Sixers’ fanbase can take solace in the fact that they have a 22-year-old star who has shot over 40 percent from three-point land each of the last two seasons and is only getting better. The sky is the limit for Maxey, and the Most Improved Player Award may very well be within his reach.