Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey has been crowned the 2023–24 NBA Most Improved Player, the league announced on Tuesday night.
Maxey, who was sixth in the voting for the same category two years ago, has made a huge leap this season as he witnessed a rise in his points average, assists, rebounds, and steals.
The 23-year-old ended the regular season averaging career bests of 25.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 1.0 steals per game, while also being named an All-Star for the first time this season.
Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey is the recipient of the George Mikan Trophy as the 2023-24 Kia NBA Most Improved Player. pic.twitter.com/3tvyCiPHma
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 23, 2024
“It feels great,” the fourth-year guard said on the TNT broadcast where the award was announced. “Somebody like myself, who prides myself on putting in a lot of work and outworking people and finding ways to get 1% better every single time I step in the gym, it feels good for that to come to light, honestly.”
The former Kentucky guard becomes just the second player to win the NBA Most Improved Player Award with the 76ers, joining Dana Barros, who claimed the honour in 1994–95. He made 52 more three-pointers than he did last season, when he finished with 160 3s, while also recording three separate 50- or more-point games, the joint-most in the NBA this season.
Maxey, who got 319 votes (51 first-place votes), beat the duo of Coby White (Chicago Bulls) and Alperen Sengun (Houston Rockets) in the voting to win the George Mikan Trophy.
White, who also averaged career-high numbers with 19.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game this season, finished in second with 309 total votes, including 32 first-place votes.
Sengun finished in third place, and like the other two players above him, he averaged career highs of 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.2 steals in 32.5 minutes per game. The Rockets’ center got 92 total votes.
The complete voting results for the 2023-24 Kia NBA Most Improved Player. pic.twitter.com/JzZ4GBsrnL
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 23, 2024
The other eleven spots in the voting were as follows: Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams was fourth, Brunson was fifth, Washington’s Deni Avdija sixth, Brooklyn’s Cam Thomas seventh, Orlando’s Jalen Suggs eighth, Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton ninth, Phoenix’s Grayson Allen and Miami’s Duncan Robinson tied for 10th, San Antonio’s Devin Vassell and Gilgeous-Alexander tied for 12th, and Indiana’s Aaron Nesmith was 14th.
