Tyrese Maxey has firmly emerged as the face and driving force of the new-generation Philadelphia 76ers.
P.J. Tucker has fourteen years of experience playing in the NBA. During that time, he wore the jerseys of seven different NBA franchises. You could say he’s seen enough and knows a thing or two about basketball.
“He’s definitely the fastest guy I’ve ever seen in my life. Tyrese is insanely fast, it’s scary. It’s scary,” Tucker once said.
Nick Nurse is the current head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers. He has 10 seasons of experience as a head coach with the Raptors and the Sixers. Before that, he spent many years as a head coach in Europe and as an assistant in the NBA. Nurse won a title with the Raptors in 2019. You could say he’s seen enough and knows a thing or two about basketball.
“Just the sheer speed and quickness that he has, it was tough to game plan against him. Sometimes, you just can’t beat the speed,” Nurse once said.
The person Tucker and Nurse are talking about is the same man. One of the fastest, if not the fastest, players in the NBA. A headache for defenders assigned to guard him. An obstacle that shatters opposing game plans because sometimes you simply can’t beat speed. He is Tyrese Maxey, and living proof that speed kills.
Maxey is definitely not a new name on the scene. He’s currently playing his sixth NBA season. In the 2023–2024 season he was selected to the All-Star team and won the Most Improved Player (MIP) award. And speaking of the MIP award, here’s a take: Maxey currently looks like a player who, if the rules allowed it, could win it again. His performances at the start of the season are on the level of one of the best guards in the league.
He’s scoring 32 points per game (third in the league) on 45% shooting from the field, including 42% from three, along with 4.8 rebounds and 7.8 assists. Compared to previous seasons, Tyrese has increased both his usage rate and scoring efficiency. He has the best playmaking numbers of his career. The Sixers’ point differential is 10.4 points per 100 possessions better when he’s on the court.
The MIP award usually goes to players who make the jump from role player to All-Star. However, there’s a tougher leap than that—the leap from All-Star to superstar. Right now, Maxey looks like a superstar. And a leader who, due to the absences of Joel Embiid and Paul George, has carried the team on his back and is driving their strong start to the season.
How is he doing it? Well, in line with his reputation—through a combination of speed and basketball skill. With Embiid in a smaller role than usual, without George and without another dominant ball-handler, Nurse has fully decided to use Maxey’s speed as a weapon. Here’s how…
Claim Now Transition
Naturally, whenever we talk about a player’s speed, the first offensive category that comes to mind is transition offense. Maxey is no exception. He’s a good rebounder for his position and height, but his teammates also look for him immediately after securing a rebound so that Maxey can push the ball up the floor and attack before the defense is set. Needless to say, he’s very good in push-transition situations.
In almost all of his seasons, his team has scored more transition points with him on the court than without him. The Sixers aren’t playing particularly fast this season (though maybe they should play a bit faster considering they have Maxey and Edgecombe), but they are in the top 10 in transition scoring.
In the video you may have noticed that Maxey doesn’t necessarily need to finish those attacks at the rim. If he sees that the opponent has retreated and is waiting for him in the middle, Maxey will stop at the three-point line and fire a missile. This season he’s shooting the three significantly better than before. Since most of his made perimeter shots are unassisted—created off the dribble—a 41% clip from three is excellent.
Distance
Nurse and Maxey have found interesting ways to optimize his speed within the offense. We often see the Sixers’ guard positioned high near the center or the sideline:
Maxey loves stampede situations where he attacks immediately upon receiving the ball, which is why he’s often positioned high in the slot near the sideline. The same applies to isolations. When he gets the matchup he wants, he’ll back up a little toward the middle of the court, gather speed, and attack.
The reason Maxey positions himself this way is clear—to take advantage of his speed, explosiveness, and acceleration, and to force defenders into tough decisions about whether to guard against the drive or the shot.
This style of play, in which he uses the entire length of the opponent’s half to attack and not only that, but also his general offensive activity and constant movement has led to Maxey being the league leader in distance covered per game for three straight seasons. In the last three seasons that number has ranged between 4.5 and 5 kilometers per game.
Step-up screens
Depending on the opponent and the offensive game plan, Maxey will sometimes call on his big men for help. Philadelphia 76ers love to run high step-up pick-and-rolls:
This is another clever way to use Tyrese’s speed. A high ball screen by the Sixers’ center pulls the opposing center farther out than he’d like. No center, no matter how mobile, enjoys defending in lots of space and far from the rim. The Sixers put them exactly in those situations, and on top of that they have to defend one of the fastest guards in the league coming at them in a full sprint. Ouch!
Off-screen actions
To add some dynamism and variety to the team’s offense and to Maxey’s modus operandi, Nurse has also prepared off-screen actions for Maxey, freeing him up without the ball:
The goal is to force the opponent to think during game prep about how to defend this type of action as well. Every player is faster without the ball than with it. And in these examples it’s clear how well Rese gets open off the ball, and how in staggers or pindowns he creates advantages for himself or the team. When he receives the ball, he either has a driving lane to burst through or an open shot.
Press/denial beaters
A great defensive possession against this version of the Sixers is if you can prevent Maxey from receiving the ball. This is usually done with press/denial coverage, but that’s easier said than done against Maxey:
As already mentioned, he moves well without the ball, and here we see him cutting into empty space using his speed. And if defenders take even that away, his big men step in to help with handoffs, get, or blind-pig actions—all of which are press/denial beaters.
Tyrese Maxey's evolution continues 📈
— NBA (@NBA) November 11, 2025
Currently second in scoring this season at 33.2 PPG, the 76ers' star guard keeps leveling up year after year! pic.twitter.com/AnmTPqiy6m
For the purposes of this article, we’ve shown only a portion of Maxey’s offensive arsenal, the part that relies on his speed and explosiveness. Beyond that, Maxey still has plenty to offer: from pick-and-roll creation to playmaking, to the technical aspects of his handle and his deadly floater.
Maxey is a complete offensive package and the new idol of Sixers fans. The new sheriff in town who for many years to come will impress teammates with his speed and give opposing coaches headaches during game prep. Because speed kills.
Only 2 players in NBA history have opened a season with 10 straight games of 25+ PTS and 5+ AST!
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) November 10, 2025
Tyrese Maxey (2025-26)
and…
Allen Iverson (2005-06) pic.twitter.com/c7Bg0Ckc9X
Only on Basketball Sphere can you follow free analyses and betting tips for all the top basketball competitions — including the:
- NBA Picks
- EuroLeague Picks
- EuroCup Picks
- FIBA Champions League Picks
- Liga Endesa Picks
- Turkish Super League Picks and more…
This season, we’ve added a wide range of special betting features to our portal, such as:
- EuroLeague Player Props
- EuroCup Player Props
- EuroLeague Acca of the Round
- EuroCup Acca of the Round
- Reddington’s Acca of the Day
A brand-new feature this year is our Numbers Game, tracking all the hottest trends in European basketball.
