By Trey Barnett

The Philadelphia 76ers are off to a hot start this season, and even after a heartbreaking loss to the Boston Celtics at home, the atmosphere is truly electric in Philadelphia.

Sixers rookie V.J. Edgecombe is an early Rookie of the Year candidate—despite Cooper Flagg being a seemingly generational prospect, Quentin Grimes looks like a candidate for Sixth Man of the Year, and the team is slowly approaching a fully healthy status (fingers crossed). This strong 4-1 start to the season wouldn’t be possible without one man truly dominating the early season at an MVP level: Tyrese Maxey.

Maxey has been a mainstay for the Sixers for years now. Drafted in the 2020 NBA Draft with the No. 21 pick, the 25-year-old guard is already in his sixth season in the league. After showing flashes in his rookie season, Maxey made a jump in his second season, becoming a full-time starter and averaging 17.5 points per game. Then, he became the protoge of James Harden during Harden’s first full season with the team, breaking the 20-point-per-game threshold for the first time.

After Harden’s trade demand and subsequent trade to the Los Angeles Clippers, Tyrese Maxey stepped up again, winning Most Improved Player and becoming a first-time All-Star, averaging 25.9 points a night.

However, last season, the Sixers imploded with injuries, leading the team to stumble to a 24-58 record and secure a top-three pick in the draft lottery. Despite this, Maxey still managed to raise his scoring output to 26.3 a night. While his efficiency decreased, Maxey used the experience from last season as a number-one scoring option to take his game to the next level.

This year, through five games, Maxey has been nothing short of exceptional. The former Kentucky guard has dominated his competition since opening night, where he tied the Sixers’ team record for most points scored on opening night with 40 in a win against the Celtics. Maxey hasn’t slowed down since then, scoring at least 26 points in all five games so far, including a 43-point explosion against the Charlotte Hornets.

In fact, his offensive output has been so incredible that he leads the league in three-pointers made per game at 4.5 and is second in points per game, just behind Giannis Antetokounmpo, at 35.2 per game. Add in his 9.4 assists, good for third in the league, and it’s clear that Tyrese deserves some MVP love this early in the season.

Despite his otherworldly start to the season, Maxey has received very little love in the MVP conversation. Looking at ESPN’s MVP odds tracker, reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the current favorite at +225. The 5-0 San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama is a close second at +230. In the third through fifth slots, Nikola Jokić, Luka Dončić, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, ranging from +425 to +900. Then, in a distant sixth is Tyrese Maxey with a +5000.

While, on one hand, assuming that Tyrese Maxey will not be able to sustain this level of scoring output is fair, the gap between him and the rest of the top five feels incredibly disrespectful to his start to the season. His current stat line, while heavily impacted by his league-leading 43.2 minutes a game, is not something that should be dismissed as a product of circumstance.

His shooting splits of 46.2/46.8/86.8 are not unrealistic at all. Only his three-point shooting percentage would be a career high, a jump from 43.4% to 46.8%. Add in his supporting cast, fitting perfectly next to him, and the shaky injury history from the Sixers’ other stars and it would not be impossible for him to end up averaging nearly 30 points a night across the season on similar shooting splits.

Tyrese Maxey may not have the same pedigree as the other players above him on the MVP watch list, but he is keeping up with them far better than the odds would lead you to believe. Through five games, Maxey has led his team to a near-perfect record, two last-second opportunities away from perfection—while leading the entire league in scoring. He has propelled comebacks and elevated the team around him to another level.

While talking about the MVP award this early on in the season is ultimately pointless, the important thing to recognize is that in a league full of superstars, the 25-year-old Maxey has held his own and helped restore an excitement in the Sixers fanbase that hasn’t existed since the team’s second-round loss to the Boston Celtics under then-coach Doc Rivers. And for that, Tyrese Maxey is the Philadelphia 76ers’ Most Valuable Player.