Tyrese Maxey finished sixth in the Most Improved Player voting two years ago after his second season in the NBA.
Voters found the progress he made between his third and fourth campaigns to be even more impressive.
The star leader of the 76ers of Philadelphia received the title of most improved player this season on Tuesday evening. Maxey saw an increase in his scoring numbers for a third straight year, finishing his campaign with per-game averages of 25.9 points, 6.2 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.0 steals – all career highs .
It’s not unusual to see players’ stats increase when they get a new role, but that’s not the case for Maxey. Two years ago, he posted per-game averages of 17.5 points, 4.3 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 0.7 steals in 35.3 minutes of play. This year, he improved on those numbers with just 2.2 minutes more per game.
Maxey beat Chicago Bulls point guard Coby White in the voting. Alperen Sengun of the Houston Rockets took third. White set career highs with 19.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. Sengun did the same with averages of 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.2 steals.
Maxey received just over half of the first-place votes and led White by 14 points (319 to 305). Sengun collected 92 points.
The trophies are awarded by a panel of 99 journalists and broadcasters who cover NBA activities. Honors only take into consideration the season.
Lauri Markkanen of the Utah Jazz was named the most improved player last season.