Salutations, Razzball Nation, and welcome back to the piece dedicated to giving you the goods on who to target week to week in order to improve your squad. We try to be advantageous in our approach and do not always land our punches but, as you know, you miss all the shots you were too afraid to take. Perhaps during the All-Star break I will glance back and grade myself on the hits and misses of the season so far and share it with you here. Stay tuned.
We are only two days away from the trade deadline and we have already had a big-ticket item fly off the shelf in the form of the flat earth spokesperson. I believe this year’s deadline will provide fireworks and will see a lot of player movement, so keep your head on a swivel. There are too many teams that are not great but also are not bad enough for the lottery and, for that reason, will try to shuffle the deck.
Therefore, while you may not be adding anyone to your roster this week while you wait to see how the deadline reshapes the landscape, you can still target a trade and I believe this week’s player can be had on the low low.
Like Public Enemy said, “Don’t, don’t, don’t believe the hype”.
There was simply no way Tyrese Maxey was going to be able to live up to the lofty expectations that were set in the off-season and only gained traction as the season drew nearer. I suppose the fact that he ended last season as a top 60 player led many to believe that he would improve even further in year three. The problem is, you were going to get a full season of James Harden and his massive usage while De’Anthony Melton’s defense has made him an intergral part of the rotation.
Another red flag for Maxey is the bulk of his value is tied into high efficiency (48.5% FG last season) and, if the shot doesn’t fall, his peripheral stat set does very little to help your team and, this season, we are seeing what that looks like in real time. Maxey is the 119th ranked player on the season and, over the past week, he has sunk to 184th. The reason for the drop is crystal clear, the shot sucks.
Yes, the shooting woes are real at 41.2% from the field on 11 attempts resulting in 1.3 threes and 15.7 points per game. In addition, somehow the skimpy counting stats became even leaner with Maxey offering 2.0 assists and 1.7 rebounds. Six total rebounds over the last four games are astonishingly low for a player averaging 27 minutes per game over that span. You would think that at least two rebounds land in his lap with eyes closed but that is not the case with this combo guard.
So why trade for him? Simply put, 20-point scoring potential is not floating on most waiver wires and, if your team is lacking in that category, then Tyrese is a viable option.
Let me preface by saying that, while I believe the shooting will improve, he will not be the player he was last season. Look for him to have a ceiling as a top 90 player with some upside to hit top 75 if he gets hot down the stretch, or if Embiid or Harden miss any time.
See if you can offer a Josh Hart-type who can offer rebounds to the team that has Maxey if they are lacking in that category. Maxey undoubtedly has his limitations but, in the right build, his scoring and threes can be of real value, and it really should not hurt your wallet to acquire his services.
You know what to do, hit me up in the comments and let me know your thoughts on Tyrese and his rest of season outlook.
Happy trade deadline week and good luck out there.
Peace.
