Tyrese Maxey keeps getting better with every season he spends in the NBA. He doesn't turn 26 until November, still a year or two away from the beginning of his prime, and now enters the most important season of his career as he looks to spearhead a title run.
Now surrounded by the most talent he's ever had in his career, Maxey must continue his upward trajectory if the Sixers are going to cash in on their championship aspirations.
Here are three realistic expectations for Tyrese Maxey in the 2026-27 season:
Tyrese Maxey has developed into one of the better passing-lane pickpockets in the league over the last few seasons. Not known as a natural defender, he has learned to use his speed and instincts to his advantage to disrupt opposing offenses. This year, with VJ Edgecombe and Jaylen Brown able to take on more defensive responsibility, his knack for creating chaos should be on even greater display.
Maxey averaged 1.9 steals per game last season, tied with Cason Wallace and Kawhi Leonard, an ascending elite defender and one of the greatest defenders of all time, respectively, for the fifth-highest mark in the NBA. He trailed only Ausar Thompson and Dyson Daniels, two of the most physically gifted defenders in the league, who both averaged 2.0 steals per game.
Maxey also finished fifth in total steals, just 20 behind Wallace for the top mark in the league. It's realistic to think Maxey could average 2.2 steals per game or more this upcoming season.
Tyrese Maxey enjoyed the best 3-point shooting seasons of his career when he played an off-ball role next to James Harden. Maxey is a much better shooter off the catch than he is off the dribble, and having a natural facilitator back on his team in LeBron James should create more of those opportunities than he's had over the past two years.
Maxey has averaged more than eight 3-point attempts per game in each of the last three seasons. That volume has to remain for the Sixers' offense to operate at its highest level, but at least six of those attempts per game this season should come off the catch.
Leveraging his greatest offensive skill and hammering the repeat button on it will keep the floor spaced for everyone else to operate, make the threat of him attacking the basket even greater and, when he's really feeling it, simply demoralize opposing teams with a hailstorm of deep shots.
The Sixers are going to have a plethora of options at their disposal when it comes to closing out tight games. They have an all-time great half-court maestro in LeBron James and two isolation scorers in Joel Embiid and Jaylen Brown, but the player who should be relied upon most to take the Sixers home on a nightly basis is Tyrese Maxey.
Maxey has the clutch gene. He's able to tap into a different gear when the pressure is at its highest. He's an incredibly tough individual cover with his ability to shoot well beyond the arc, coupled with his blazing speed.
Coming off his second All-Star selection and his first All-NBA Team selection, maybe the referees will finally give him the superstar whistle he deserves. That could be the final piece to his crunch-time magic act.
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