Sixers’ Tyrese Maxey wins NBA's Most Improved Player award

Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey has won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award, the league’s communications department tweeted.

Maxey edged out the Bulls’ Coby White for the award. Maxey received 51 of 99 first-place votes while recording 319 voting points. White had 32 first-place votes while compiling 305 points. 

The Rockets’ Alperen Sengun was a distant third with eight first-place votes and 92 points.

The Thunder’s Jalen Williams and Knicks’ Jalen Brunson finished fourth and fifth, respectively, according to the league.

Maxey, who is expected to sign a max rookie scale extension this offseason, ranked 11th in the NBA in points per game (+5.6 PPG from last season) and 20th in assists per game (+2.7 APG from last season). The first-time All-Star also made a career-high 212 three-pointers, up from 160 last season.

Maxey recorded three games of 50 or more points, tied for the most in the NBA. Those were the first 50-point games of his four-year career.

He’s the first member of the Sixers to win the award since Dana Barros was the leading vote-getter for the 1994-95 season.