Tyrese Maxey Emphatically Proves He Was the Biggest Snub of the NBA Awards Finalists

This year, the NBA finals was a series between two of the best point guards in basketball. Stephen Curry and LeBron James both had MVP caliber seasons that led to one-on-one matchups at center court where they would duel for who is better all night long. However, what many fans didn’t realize is that there were actually four finalists playing in this year’s finals: Steph Curry (Golden State Warriors), Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder), LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers) and Kyrie Irving (Boston Celtics). One person was noticeably missing from these finalist discussions though: Tyrese Maxey, Cleveland Cavaliers’ second leading scorer on their run to the NBA Finals victory against Golden States Warriors last season

Tyrese Maxey Emphatically Proves He Was the Biggest Snub of the NBA Awards Finalists. Tyrese Maxey was one of the top three finalists for the most improved player award, but he didn’t get it. This article will go over why Tyrese may have been snubbed and how he can prove that he deserves to be on the list next year. Read more in detail here: most improved player nba 2022.

The NBA unveiled the finalists for the 2021-22 awards over the weekend, and there weren’t many shocks on the list. The obvious MVP nominees were Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, while the worthy winners of the other five accolades seemed to be featured on the vote.

However, there was one name that was missing.

Tyrese Maxey, who had a solid case for Most Improved Player this year after tripling his stats in virtually every statistical area, was not picked as a finalist for the honor. Perhaps the rejection has inspired the teenager, as he has been the greatest player on the field for the Philadelphia 76ers in the playoffs.

Tyrese Maxey has had a fantastic start to the playoffs.

Tyrese Maxey of the Philadelphia 76ers celebrates after scoring a goal against the Toronto Raptors in a playoff game | Getty Images/Tim Nwachukwu

Maxey was a big reason why the 76ers crushed the Toronto Raptors on their own floor to establish a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference first-round series.

In his first career playoff start, the second-year guard scored a game-high 38 points on 14-of-21 shooting to lead the Sixers to a 20-point victory. In Game 2, he had 23 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists in a 15-point triumph for Philly.

Maxey leads the 76ers in points (61), field goals made (22), and three-pointers made (10) through two games of the series (eight). With his game-breaking speed and superb finishing skills at the rim, he’s exposed Toronto’s transition defense. And when the Raptors leave him open from beyond the arc, he takes advantage of it.

Doc Rivers, the Sixers’ head coach, was reluctant to give Maxey significant playing time during the team’s playoff run last season. Last playoffs, he averaged only 13 minutes per game off the bench and just 6.3 Per-game points. He’s been the most influential player on the squad through two playoff games a year later.

But if you’ve been following the Sixers all season, you already know this.

Maxey was rejected as a finalist for Most Improved Player in an unjust manner.

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Maxey was a spark off the bench as a rookie, excelling in transition and attacking the basket. His three-point shooting seemed to be a major worry, as he only hit 30.1 percent on 1.7 attempts per game. Maxey averaged eight points, two assists, and 1.7 rebounds in 15.3 minutes per game.

Due to Ben Simmons’ absence in Year 2, Maxey was thrust into the starting point guard role, and he made the most of it. Maxey’s stats didn’t only improve from his first season. He multiplied them by two. Almost every single one of them.

Maxey quadrupled his Per-game points, Per-game assists, Per-game blocks, field goals per game, and three-point field goals per game from year one to year two. Take a look at how far he’s come from 2021 to 2022:

Maxey’s raw stats have increased, which makes logical given that he’s now playing starter minutes, but his shooting numbers are practically impossible to explain. Maxey’s three-point shooting % was outside the top 150 players in the NBA as a rookie. Even when he was open, he seldom sought to manufacture his own shot from deep and hesitated to take the trigger.

He’s focusing on the three-point shot this season, and he concluded the season with the league’s third-best three-point shooting %. That’s an impressive glow in such a short amount of time.

Despite this, Maxey was not a finalist for the NBA’s Most Improved Player award. Darius Garland, Ja Morant, and Dejounte Murray will compete for the honor. All three players increased their stats from the previous season, although none as much as Maxey.

Maxey may be the favorite for MIP, but he will not even place in the top three. Maybe he’ll use the rejection as fuel to keep his postseason run going.

Basketball Reference provided all stats.

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The “2017 nba mvp” was a snub that Tyrese Maxey felt very strongly about. He released an article on his website, where he emphatically proved that he was the biggest snub of the NBA Awards Finalists.

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