Tyrese Maxey's Latest Award Puts Him Up With NBA's Best

Being an All-Star Starter? Awesome. Being the top American vote-getter amongst All-Star starters? Neat. 12th-ranked jersey sale in the NBA and 8th amongst American-born players? Bravo.

How about an All-NBA selection? That's quite the cap on an excellent season for Tyrese Maxey.

Maxey joined Jamal Murray, Jalen Johnson, Jalen Duren and Chet Holmgren on All-NBA Third Team, the league announced on Sunday evening.

It is the first All-NBA selection of Maxey's career.

That isn't the only decoration for Philadelphia's promising backcourt. Just a few days ago, V.J. Edgecombe was named to All-Rookie First Team, joining Memphis' Cedric Coward, San Antonio's Dylan Harper, Charlotte's Kon Knueppel and Dallas' Cooper Flagg. Edgecombe also finished third in Rookie of the Year voting.

At a macro level, the considerations given to Maxey and Edgecombe summarize Philadelphia's season. Between Paul George being suspended 25 games and Joel Embiid playing just 38 games, most would've assumed it took yet another leapy from Maxey and an eye-popping first year from Edgecombe for the Sixers to win 45 games and have a chance in a playoff series.

Although the lasting memory of Maxey's season will be a right pinky injury rendering him unable to grip a basketball in the Sixers' series sweep at the hands of the New York Knicks, the star guard buoyed a season of adversity in Philadelphia. The Sixers never fell below .500 at any point despite the constant lineup turnover and needing some time to reach his highest level of the season.

Maxey was there to see the end through, returning from his finger injury in exactly three weeks to help guide Philadelphia out of the Play-In tournament while Embiid was unavailable due to an appendectomy.

Perhaps most remarkable, his poise and tone led Philadelphia back on the correct path just in the nick of time against the Boston Celtics, Maxey and Embiid partnering to spear-head the Sixers' comeback from a 3-1 series deficit to upset their long-time rival in a dramatic road Game 7.

He and Edgecombe serving as the Sixers' backcourt of the future is why, regardless of Embiid and George, there should be excitement about Philadelphia's future. It's not difficult to see how the Sixers could compile regular seasons that put them near the top of the Eastern Conference with those two leading the way.

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