How the top three stacked up
Maxey became a favorite for the award after taking over as the Sixers’ lead guard following the James Harden trade. Notably, his PER jumped from last year’s 17.0 to this season’s 19.7. The Sixers won 47 games despite a preseason trade demand from Harden and losing MVP Joel Embiid for half the season.
In his fifth season, runner-up White more than doubled his scoring average from 9.7 to 19.1 points per game, also benefiting from a season-ending injury to Zach LaVine that cleared minutes and touches. While this happened after voting concluded, he also scored 42 points on Atlanta in a play-in game.
Third-place finisher Şengün was eligible despite only playing 63 games, due to quirk in the CBA for players with season-ending injuries. In his third season, he jumped his scoring from 14.8 to 21.1 points per game on a Houston team that jumped from 22 wins to 41.
(Photo: Vincent Carchietta / USA Today)
Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey is the 2023-24 NBA Most Improved Player, the league announced Tuesday.
Maxey upped his scoring average by more than five points, from 20.3 to 25.9 points per game, while also averaging a career-high 6.2 assists this season for the 76ers. He’s the second 76er to win the award, joining Dana Barros who earned the honor in 1994-95. Maxey also was named an All-Star for the first time earlier this year. He made a career-high 212 3-pointers this season compared to his 160 last season, and had three games with 50 or more points, which is tied for the most in the NBA.
The 23-year-old guard beat out award finalists Coby White and Alperen Şengün, garnering 51 first-place votes and 319 total points in voting. White, a guard for the Chicago Bulls, finished second with 32 first-place votes and 305 total points, while Houston Rockets center Şengün finished third with six first-place votes and 92 total points.
The New York Knicks currently lead the 76ers 2-0 in their best-of-seven first-round series. The Sixers host Game 3 on Thursday.
Philadelphia 76ers Guard Tyrese Maxey
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