Maxey misses out on a 2023-24 All-NBA Team spot
Maxey misses out on a 2023-24 All-NBA Team spot originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Tyrese Maxey did not get an All-NBA spot as a cherry on top of his fantastic season.
Maxey missed out on the three 2023-24 All-NBA teams, which were named Wednesday night.
He received 16 total points (one second-team vote and 13 third-team votes). That was tied for second-highest among the players not selected but still far off from making the cut. With 70 total points, Devin Booker was the last player on the positionless teams.
The 2023-24 First Team is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jayson Tatum.
Jalen Brunson, Anthony Edwards, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis made the Second Team. The final five All-NBA players chosen were LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Domantas Sabonis, Tyrese Halliburton and Booker.
By making an All-NBA team, Maxey would’ve qualified for “Designated Player” status and become eligible to sign a contract for as much as 30 percent of the salary cap this offseason (as opposed to 25 percent).
Now, a five-year maximum extension for him would total approximately $205 million.
In his first season with Sixers head coach Nick Nurse, Maxey reached his first All-Star Game and posted 25.9 points, 6.2 assists and 3.7 rebounds per contest. He was also named the NBA’s Most Improved Player and earned the league’s Sportsmanship Award.
Nurse has pushed Maxey to be a stronger defender and more aggressive star lead guard, including in clutch situations.
“I think there’s still a ton of room for growth for him at the end of games,” Nurse told NBC Sports Philadelphia in late April. “And I think for sure he’ll be in (late-game) situations. When you’re coaching and you’re at the end of the game, who’s going to take the shot? It’s always great to have A and B — or 1 and 1A.
“And I always think that most of our plays are going to look like that, where it could go to (Joel Embiid) or it could go to Ty. … I think that’s good, because usually it’s hard to take both things away. You’ve got to kind of take your pick, and we’ve just got to be able to make the read on which one looks better.”
At his end-of-season press conference, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey repeatedly described Maxey as one of the team’s core pieces alongside superstar center Embiid.
Embiid was not eligible for All-NBA voting the year after his 2022-23 MVP season because he didn't hit the 65-game minimum requirement. He averaged 34.7 points, 11.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists over his 39 games played.
“We all had very high hopes — and I think you’d have put pretty good odds on it — that Tyrese could be the second-best player on a championship team,” Morey said. “I think we absolutely believe that now. That belief went from high to I think we’re certain at this point that he can do that.
“Still a long way to go, but the fact that that’s the case, that means the job becomes (about) some of these questions like, ‘How do you find the rest of the roster to fit around that?’ And … how do you get Joel at his (best) going into the playoffs?”
Following the Sixers’ first-round series loss to the Knicks, Embiid said Maxey “has a chance to do something special next year again.”
“I hope he becomes All-NBA this year, but I think he can be in stuff like MVP conversations,” Embiid said. “I think he can take that next step.”
