Philadelphia 76ers superstar Tyrese Maxey has made it a point to build a sustainable partnership in the backcourt with rookie VJ Edgecombe. It's a decision that has cost him individual statistics, but has ultimately benefited Philadelphia from both immediate and long-term perspectives.
It's the type of sacrifice that makes all the difference between a player being productive and truly qualifying as one of the top stars in the NBA.
Maxey has played 326 minutes with Edgecombe on the court and 119 without the electrifying rookie. During the time they've shared the floor, the All-Star guard has averaged 27.1 points per 75 possessions with a true shooting percentage of 57.1, per DataBallr's stat line shift.
During the 119 minutes that Maxey has played without Edgecombe, he's averaged 34.8 points per 75 possessions with a true shooting percentage of 69.0.
It wouldn't be entirely shocking for a superstar to prioritize volume and efficiency over a rookie's development. Whether or not it would be the right decision certainly offers reason for debate, but the bottom line is that it's happened before.
Rather than fixating on what his statistics could be, however, Maxey is showing why he's a true superstar by ensuring his teammates are elevated by him.
Tyrese Maxey sacrificing personal stats to help VJ Edgecombe improve
While Maxey has played better without Edgecombe individually, the opposite is true in reverse. The rookie is averaging 0.8 more points and 2.0 more assists per 75 possessions without the All-Star, but is also committing 1.7 more turnovers and is posting a true shooting percentage of just 40.4 in 84 minutes without Maxey.
With Maxey on the court, Edgecombe's true shooting percentage increases by 14.3 percent and his three-point field goal percentage climbs from 33.3 to 37.5
It's also worth noting that Maxey is averaging 8.3 assists per 75 possessions with Edgecombe on the court and 5.5 without him. As such, it's not simply that he's averaging more points and allowing everything else to stay the same, but that his role inherently changes.
Maxey goes from running the offense as a balanced high-volume scorer and playmaker to effectively going all-in on his scoring while maintaining a demanding role as a facilitator.
It's an unsustainable model that Nick Nurse has perhaps intentionally limited the use of. The 76ers are being outscored by 3.5 points per 100 possessions when Maxey is on the court without Edgecombe and 8.4 when the rookie is playing without the veteran.
When the dynamic duo is sharing the court, however, the 76ers are outscoring opponents by 8.6 points per 100 possessions.
Furthermore, the 76ers rank in the 79th percentile in net rating, the 89th percentile in offensive rating, and the 53rd percentile in defensive rating when Edgecombe and Maxey are playing together. As such, logic dictates that Maxey's sacrifice is paying off in the short-term, as well.
By helping Edgecombe find his confidence on offense, Maxey has shown the leadership and maturity that a superstar needs to win meaningful games in the NBA.