A “black cloud” was lifted from over the heads of the Philadelphia 76ers early on Tuesday morning. After a long, drawn out saga that included James Harden publicly criticizing his team’s general manager and eventually being denying him access to the team plane, the two have finally parted ways. As was his preference, Harden has been traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, and will play in his hometown for the first time in his career.
Tyrese Maxey Should Thrive With Harden’s Departure From 76ers
“I texted [James Harden] telling him I love [and appreciate] him… One thing that he really installed in me is confidence… He made me even more confident than I already was… He took me under his wing, taught me a lot of things.”
—Tyrese Maxey 🗣
(via @BySamDiGiovanni) pic.twitter.com/8bgez0SbY8
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 31, 2023
Much of the news is of course about the Clippers and how Harden improves their standing in the Western Conference. Their starting lineup is now one of the more dangerous units in the league, and the franchise is looking to capitalize on the championship windows of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
But what about the team that Harden departed from? Where do the 76ers go from here? There are questions about their superstar and reigning MVP Joel Embiid, and what exactly he plans to do with his future. There is the thought that Philadelphia will do what they can in order to bring in another star to entice Embiid to stay, though that player might be a third star if Tyrese Maxey continues on his current trajectory.
Maxey is in his fourth season as a pro after being drafted 21st overall by Philadelphia in 2020. He has shown marked improvement in each of his years in the league, and got his scoring average up to 20+ points on 43% shooting from 3-point range. While he played 33 minutes per, Maxey started in just 41 of the games, with Harden often getting the nod instead.
MIP Award Is Maxey’s To Lose
Tyrese Maxey so far this season
30.3 PPG
6.7 RPG
6.3 APG
68.8% TS— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 30, 2023
But that will all be changing, now. The 76ers backcourt officially belongs to Tyrese Maxey, and he has been doing an excellent job of staking his claim early on in the 2023-24 season. Through the first three games of the year, he is averaging 30 points per game, and his rebound and assist numbers are impressive, too. He already has a 31 point, 8 assist game so far this year, as well as a 24 point, 10 rebound performance as well.
Maxey is the outright leader for Most Improved Player as well. The sample size is of course small, and he began the season as the slight favorite in the category anyway. But the guard’s designation at BetOnline for MIP is currently sitting at +200, down from the +300 that we saw on Monday night before Harden was traded away. We are very early in the season, but it is currently a two-man race for the award, with Cam Thomas (+450) joining Maxey near the top. The next lowest designation belongs to Cade Cunningham at +1000.
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