Tyrese Maxey's Playoff Run Is Coming

Like everyone else, MOC has underrated Maxey for too long -- but no longer.

One of the craziest things about Tyrese Maxey is the fact that he has continually proven not only his critics and doubters wrong, but his biggest supporters too. I was one such person – despite having Maxey No. 1 on my Sixers-centric big board in 2020, I never imagined him becoming anything like what he is now. Two weeks into his rookie season, I said that I thought he could average 20 points per game some day, which felt like a scorching hot take at the time. Three years later, he’s wrapping up an All-Star season in which he’s averaging just shy of 26. I have pretty much always been one of the leading believers in Maxey’s game, and yet I was never high enough in my prognostication.

Maxey’s ability to soar past the expectations of even his biggest supporters is unlike just about any player I’ve ever seen – it is certainly unlike the great majority of players that have come into the Sixers’ organization in the past 10 years. In a lot of ways, he is the antithesis of a lot of the most frustrating players that have come through the door during the Process era. We spent years begging for players to develop in certain areas, or saying if only X happens, Player Y could be a star. Maxey never elicited any of that; there was never any consternation from the fans about his trajectory. He just went ahead and maxed out every single skill in his game by the age of 23. 

The Playoff Shirt Is Here, It Is The Year

This time, though, I’m not going to let Maxey’s next leap catch me by surprise. I know what’s coming: an absolutely monster playoff run. His game, his role, and his mentality are in the perfect place for this next stage of his ascension. With Ben Simmons and James Harden out of the way, Maxey is the clear and conclusive No. 2 on this team, and that is going to transform not only his output but the mental make-up of the team as a whole – unlike Embiid’s two previous sidekicks, Maxey is a natural born winner with an insanely competitive nature whose star shines brightest when it matters most.

 One could point to lots of things as evidence of Maxey’s winning mental make-up, but the first such clue was his performance in Game 6 of the Sixers’ 2021 playoff series against the Hawks. I’ll never forget the feeling I had heading into that game – with the team having blown huge leads in Games 4 and 5, and with Ben Simmons in the midst of a very obvious meltdown, I had never been more sure that the Sixers were going to lose a game than I was on that day.

The game started off about as expected – the Hawks jumped out to a 20-8 lead after six minutes of play, and Simmons had already been forced to check out due to early foul trouble. And then, Maxey came in. He scored six points in six minutes in the first quarter, injecting life and energy into a Sixers’ offense that seemed dead.

Maxey went on to finish the game with 16 points as well as some excellent defense on Trae Young to help seal the game. It was a shocking performance from a rookie, especially considering that he had been out of the rotation for that entire series prior to that game. 

And while there were some gorgeous finishes and highlight-worthy defense, what was most striking was how it felt – the vibe that he brought as a rookie in a huge playoff game was remarkable. There was zero part of him that felt mentally in over his skis. He was completely unfazed by all the negative vibes. In the midst of all of the Sixers’ doom and gloom, Maxey simply didn’t give a fuck about any of it. He was, and is, golden – his positive mentality never tarnishes, and is never affected by any of the Sixers’ psychological baggage. 

And, so, if you’re looking for reasons to believe in an impending Maxey playoff explosion in his first year as a No. 2 option, you could easily point to his improved off the dribble shot creation, his leap as a foul drawer, or his improved chemistry in the two-man game with Embiid within the Nick Nurse offense. But for me, the thing I am betting most on is his mentality. There’s just something about Maxey that allows him to always meet the moment. Of all people, Doc Rivers once summed up Maxey’s on-court demeanor quite nicely: “He just doesn’t play with anxiety.”

Is Joel Embiid Ready for the Playoffs?

There’s a complete freedom from negativity in Maxey’s brain. There’s no part of him that’s wondering “Oh, no. What if I blow it?” in the midst of big moments. He has no negative inner monologue – and he doesn’t have to fight to expel it, it just isn’t there. 

I once compared Maxey’s mental approach to that of Steph Curry – they both bring a childlike joy mixed with an insanely competitive nature. Rivers’ point about Maxey playing with zero anxiety could also be applied to Curry. If The Baby-Faced Assassin wasn’t already in-use as a Curry nickname, it would fit nicely for Maxey. 

If there is any reason to believe this Sixers team is different, it’s the fact that this team has less Loser Energy than ever. There is no Doc Rivers, no Ben Simmons, and no James Harden. Maxey as the No. 2 option will be freed up not only for more shot creation opportunities, but also in his ability to make an imprint on the personality of the team. Maxey finally moving out of the role of side character and becoming the clear and conclusive perimeter alpha of this team changes everything.

It’s hard to overstate the degree to which Maxey has helped save this era of Sixers basketball – if that Mike Muscala shot doesn’t go in four years ago, who knows where the Sixers would be today. After last year’s playoffs, I could not have possibly felt more down on this franchise, and I felt very strongly that this era was doomed to be succumbed by what at this point has become generational trauma. 

And yet, heading into these playoffs, I feel a faint flicker of hope that this is indeed The Year, mostly because of what I’ve seen and felt from Tyrese Maxey this season. There is an ineffable greatness in this kid’s make-up that exists in all great NBA playoff performers. Maxey has been shocking the world with his leaps into higher echelons for years, and if he does it again this time, it won’t surprise me one bit. 

---

Mike O’Connor is the best O’Connor in basketball writing. Previously of The Athletic, you can find Mike on Twitter @MOConnor_NBA. Mike’s writing is brought to you by Body Bio, supplements based on science, focusing on your gut and brain health. Get 20% off E-Lyte, Gut+, and all Body Bio products with promo code MIKESTUMMY at Body Bio’s website.