Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey has been generating buzz for his play on the court. His heroics in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference playoff series elevated the Sixers closer to the New York Knicks, who still lead the series 3-2.
Maxey finished the most recent game with 46 of his team’s 112 points and added nine assists. His clutch shots in the final minute of regulation sent the game to overtime and helped the 76ers to a win.
Meanwhile, Maxey’s name was conspicuously absent when Team USA’s roster for the Paris Olympics was released a couple of weeks ago. A case for Maxey, 23, to be included on the roster is easy to make.
The former Kentucky product won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award this past season when he averaged 25.9 points, 6.2 assists, 3.7 rebounds and one steal, all career highs. He also made his first of what should be many All-Star appearances.
Now, the question becomes: How can you leave Maxey off the prestigious Team USA roster? There isn’t much in the way of lead/combo guards on this roster and, without question, the roster could use an influx of youth. Anthony Edwards is the only player on the current USA roster who is younger than Maxey. More than half of the team is upwards of 30 years old.
The counter-argument is: Who would you take off to add a player of Maxey’s caliber to the roster? The list of stars on the roster is endless. There is a limit of 12 players who can play in Paris; who could Maxey replace?
The answer is easy: Jrue Holiday. The Celtics guard is a two-time all-star and excellent defender, but Holiday was never a very dynamic scorer and this season averaged just 12.5 points per game. That was his lowest scoring average since his rookie season, way back in 2009-10 with Philadelphia.
You may say that Holiday is not on the roster for his scoring, that his defense and intangibles earned him this spot. But are those good enough reasons to include him on a roster instead of a dynamic, young player like Maxey?
Maxey more than doubled Holiday in scoring and averaged more steals, assists and fewer turnovers per game. More advanced statistics also favor Maxey over Holiday. Maxey had 8.1 Win Shares this season compared to 6.3 for Holiday. He also outshined Maxey in other advanced statistics such as box plus/minus and VORP. These statistics factor defense into the equation as well, so there is little question that Maxey is the more valuable overall player.
Holiday is 34 years old, and this will undoubtedly be his last Olympic games. Maxey is more than a decade younger and can perhaps be one of the faces of the future for USA Basketball.
The basketball world is witnessing just how promising Maxey’s talent is at the ripe-young age of 23. USA Basketball fans are justifiably wondering how a player of his talent, promise and scoring ability was left off the roster for the upcoming Olympic games in Paris.
If you flip Maxey for Holiday, it is hard to imagine there being any sort of outcry. There is plenty of other leadership and remaining on the team without Holiday, and infusing them with a burst of young dynamism and energy will fuel the Americans’ quest for gold after a disappointing showing at the World Cup in 2023.
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