It is not clear whether this is news or not, but it is a reality that speaks for itself. Philadelphia 76ers landed Jaylen Brown and LeBron James in the summer, moves that catapulted them straight into title favourites, but names are one thing and what happens on the court is another, and that is exactly where Tyrese Maxey is in charge.
Looking at what we expected from the Sixers on our weekly podcast, several of us pointed out that the 26-year-old guard would be the player with the highest usage on the team – he would play more – but it remained to be seen whether he would keep his leading role with all the stars on the floor together. Well, we are now seeing it confirmed.
Of the 13 games Philadelphia (10-3) have played, Maxey has finished as the top scorer in as many as nine, and he is also averaging 26.7 points, the highest on the team. He also hands out 5.5 assists, second only to LeBron.
With those numbers, it is no surprise that the Sixers again used him as their spearhead tonight ahead of the likes of Jaylen Brown or Joel Embiid. In a fairly tight game against the Toronto Raptors, Maxey stood out with 27 points and 8 assists. Here is his performance.
Beyond how well Maxey played, the game against the Canadians also saw The King pick up another absence, meaning he has now missed three games. This time it was because of his already known sciatica problem.
(Photograph by IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
