76ers guard Tyrese Maxey wins Most Improved Player award – WQKT Sports Country Radio

Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey was named the NBA's Most Improved Player on Tuesday night, beating out Chicago Bulls guard Coby White and Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun, the other two finalists for the award.

Maxey, 23, had a breakthrough season with the Sixers. He averaged career highs in points (25.9), rebounds (3.7), assists (6.2), steals (1.0) and 3-pointers made (212) while also being named an All-Star He moved to full-time point guard for the first time in his career after James Harden moved to the LA Clippers.

“I had to take different steps,” Maxey said during an interview with TNT before the Minnesota Timberwolves played the Phoenix Suns in Game 2 of their first-round series on Tuesday night when he was presented with the award. “In the offseason, I didn't know what the situation was going to be with James, so my thing was, every day I had to work on the pick and roll, work on passing, work on reading… those little things excite me the most because of me don't think I couldn't have done the pieces I'm doing this year in previous years.

Maxey had 51 first place votes, 18 second place votes and 10 third place votes, finishing with 79 ballots and receiving a total of 319 total points.

White participated in more total ballots, 91, but had 32 first-place votes, 43 second-place votes, and 16 third-place votes, for a total score of 305.

Sengun had 92 points in third place, followed by Thunder forward Jalen Williams in fourth and New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson in fifth.

“It feels great,” Maxey said of winning the award. “Someone like me, who prides myself on working hard, training people and finding ways to get one percent better every time I go to the gym, it honestly feels good when that comes to light. “

The joy of winning the award was somewhat muted for Maxey after Game 2 of Philadelphia's first-round series against the New York Knicks ended wildly on Monday night. Although he finished with 35 points, Maxey managed a crucial turnover in the final 30 seconds that led to the Knicks' game-winning 3-pointer.

The league's last-two-minute report came out Tuesday and stated that Maxey was fouled not once, but twice on the play in which he committed the turnover.

Maxey, the No. 20 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft out of Kentucky, has gone from a part-time player as a rookie to an indispensable centerpiece in Philadelphia and is the perfect long-term running mate for the league's reigning Most Valuable Player, Joel Embiid. There's arguably no one more in Maxey's corner than Embiid, constantly calling him the team's best player.

Most Improved Player was the league's first full-season award presented over the next few weeks and the first of four awards presented this week. The league's Sixth Man of the Year award will be announced on Wednesday, followed by Clutch Player of the Year on Thursday and Coach of the Year on Sunday.