NEW YORK — Tyrese Maxey was named Sunday night as one of the NBA’s three Most Improved Player finalists.
Along with Maxey, Bulls guard Coby White and Rockets center Alperen Şengün are top-three finishers for the award, which is decided by voting from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.
The NBA also announced finalists Sunday for MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Clutch Player of the Year and Coach of the Year.
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Among the Most Improved group, Maxey is the lone All-Star and only player in this season’s playoffs.
All three finalists have made major, obvious progress with their games. Şengün expanded his crafty playmaking and skillful post scoring in a higher-usage role, averaging 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists. White became a full-time, heavy-minutes starter and posted career highs in points (19.1), assists (5.1) and rebounds (4.5) per game. He’d averaged just 9.7 points during the 2022-23 season.
Maxey rose to clear-cut All-Star status as the Sixers’ lead guard after they traded James Harden to the Clippers. He remained elite at taking care of the ball while displaying more consistent aggression under first-year Sixers head coach Nick Nurse.
NBA
Maxey notched 25.9 points, 6.2 assists and 3.7 rebounds per contest. He scored at least 50 points three times this year, including a career-high 52 points on April 7 in a double-overtime win against the Spurs.
The NBA will reveal winners for its end-of-season awards during the postseason. Exact dates have not yet been announced.