76ers’ Tyrese Maxey Lands Favorable Odds for Yearly Award

With the 2024 All-Star break in the rearview, we’re reaching the final stretch of the regular season, which signals that the finish line for player awards is in sight.

Typically, the Philadelphia 76ers are invested in the NBA’s MVP race as the team’s center, Joel Embiid, has been a finalist for the last few seasons.

While Embiid won’t be relevant in the race this year, as a knee injury hurt his chances, the Sixers will be paying close attention to the Most Improved Player category, as their fourth-year guard Tyrese Maxey is shaping up to be a favorite to land the trophy, according to FanDuel.

“Maxey is pretty deserving of his frontrunner spot in this market. He's shown growth in each of his previous three seasons in the NBA, even earning the sixth-most votes for Most Improved Player during his second season. This year, though, he has taken another step entirely and has been a major player for the 76ers, garnering a spot on this year's All-Star team.”

For the first time in his career, Maxey was named an All-Star this season. While the league anticipated a jump from the young veteran in the absence of the ten-time All-Star guard, James Harden, who forced his way to LA, the young guard’s emergence still might’ve been better than expected.

According to FD’s odds, Maxey is the favorite at -270 to win the Most Improved Player title in 2024. Chicago Bulls guard Coby White trails him with odds set at +470.

The Maxey-White battle is tight, and the rest of the list is a steep step down. Beyond White, Golden State’s Jonathan Kuminga and Houston’s Alperen Sengun are tied with the third-best odds at +1400.

The next two are Oklahoma City Thunder’s Jalen Williams (+1900), and Toronto Raptors’ Scottie Barnes (+9500)

Heading into Tuesday night’s game against the Boston Celtics, Maxey was averaging 26 points, six assists, and four rebounds. He’s been knocking down 45 percent of his shots from the field and averaged 38 percent on eight threes per game.