Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey gave Knicks fans Reggie Miller flashbacks on Monday, saving Philadelphia from elimination with seven points in the final 25 seconds of regulation and finishing with 46 points in the Sixers’ 112-106 overtime victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night in Game 5 of their first-round series.
ESPN’s “Get Up” crew was raving about Maxey’s MSG massacre, and panelist Andraya Carter had some incredible praise for the guard, who has played in the shadow of league MVP and two-time scoring champion Joel Embiid.
While Maxey’s performance was epic, it was in an elimination Game 5, not a Game 7. It’s the first-round of the playoffs. We are yet to separate the pretenders from the contenders.
Andraya Cater Calls Tyrese Maxey “Future Face of NBA”
“Tyrese Maxey has to be in the conversation, for the future face of the league. Who have we been talking about Anthony Edwards? People have talked about Victor Wembanyama and Chet (Holmgren). … All of that is great. Tyrese Maxey has to be in the conversation.
Carter continued: “Fifty-point performances, people weren’t talking about him being the face of the league. This performance, what did he say afterwards? ‘Mandatory.’”
“This performance in the Garden, the way he put the team on his back in the fourth quarter especially, the way Embiid struggled, and the way Maxey stepped up, he has to be in the conversation for the rest of the league, period,” Carter continued.
Whoa. And it’s crazy that nobody checked her on that. Monica McNutt, the radio voice of the Knicks and Mike Greenberg, kind of co-signed her statement.
“You’re looking at a seventh seed, so while Anthony Edwards and Shai Gilgeous Alexander finished at the top of the Western Conference, because of the injury to Embiid,” McNutt said, “(Maxey) answered any questions about what he could do if he had to take the lead role.”
Is Tyrese Maxey A Candidate For Future Face of NBA?
Yes, Maxey is a rising superstar in the league and the kind of wingman to Joel Embiid that Philly needs to make a serious run. But Jayson Tatum, Anthony Edwards, Victor Wembanyama, Luka Doncic, Devin Booker, all come to mind as guys who would be in line for future face of the NBA before Maxey.
He’s a dynamic guard and Philly values him because they wouldn’t trade him for Damian Lillard. However, they also didn’t give him an extension, so he’s going to be a restricted free agent and they are going to have to pay him a huge bag now.
If anything , this game and Embiid’s plethora of injuries, from Bell’s palsy to migraine headaches, makes sure Maxey is looking at a max deal.
Face of the NBA though? He has some winning to do before he might ascend to that lofty level as a player and a candidate for such a multi-dimensional title to hold.
Who Is Andraya Carter?
Carter is a rising star as an ESPN analyst and talking head. She’s currently the only analyst covering NBA, WNBA and NCAA women’s and men’s basketball .
She is extremely knowledgeable on the game and was an elite defender and capable scorer at Tennessee, one of the flagship programs in the history of women’s basketball.
In 2024, she achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first woman desk analyst on ESPN’s “College GameDay” for men’s basketball. She also was honored as the 2023 Dawn Staley Excellence in Broadcasting recipient and winning the 2022 University of Tennessee Alumni Promise Award.
She was also named to The Athletic’s “40 Under 40: Rising Stars in Women’s Basketball” and “40 Under 40 in College Sports” lists. In addition, she earned a 2023 Sports Emmy nomination in the Emerging On-Air Talent category.
Carter, Elle Duncan and Chiney Ogwumike Covered NCAA and WNBA Draft
Carter’s name exploded throughout the industry due to her incredible work alongside Elle Duncan and Chiney Ogwumike in the ESPN studio booth, covering the most watched Final Four in women’s hoops history and then the historic 2024 WNBA draft night, featuring Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and a host of other popular women’s basketball players.
Now that Carter has the mic, especially in the mornings, she has to come with a hot take every now and then, and she definitely capitalized on the prisoner of the moment energy. If Maxey shoots 5-for-18 in Game 6, will Carter’s assertion still apply?
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The Arrival Of Tyrese Maxey Makes The 76ers Legit Title Contenders (theshadowleague.com)
