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QUICK HITS

• Tyrese Maxey has been working hard this season. And I don’t mean on his game, though it’s apparent that this season’s early breakout star has been doing plenty of that. Rather, the Philadelphia 76ers guard has been putting in the type of on-court effort that is equal parts admirable and concerning. Nineteen games into the season, Maxey ranks: first in minutes per game (38.4), first in distance covered per game (3 miles), and tenth in total minutes played (691) —a number he led the league in before missing his first game Friday night. All while having started 18 of the 19 games the Sixers have played thus far. While the old school in me loves this type of every game grind, it’s an outlier for a star player to be playing this type of minutes, with this type of effort, in the modern NBA. Just something to watch, as Philadelphia already has a star known for wearing himself out before the postseason arrives.

• Do look now, because another 2022 NBA draft alum is announcing his presence to the league. While Chet, Paulo, and J-Dub are getting the most praise, Mark Williams is quietly putting together a statistically loud year. The second-year center from Duke, taken by Charlotte with the 12^th pick, is averaging an impressive 13.2 points, while his 10.1 rebounds already rank twelfth in the league—including 4.1 offensive rebounds, which ranks third. Williams is also shooting 65.3% from the field. LaMelo’s ankle injury will hamper some of the production, but William’s combination of body control, soft hands, and good touch around the basket, should translate no matter who is feeding him the ball.

• History prevents me from taking Phoenix seriously. Don’t get me wrong, Kevin Durant has been incredible so far this year. Devin Booker has been a killer, when available. And Jusuf Nurkić and Eric Gordon have both been surprisingly healthy and productive. This has led the Suns to a credible 12-8 record, despite their big off-season addition, Bradley Beal, only appearing in three games so far due to a balky back. And those are exactly the reasons you can’t ask me to take this team seriously. KD’s workload is way too high—his 36.8 minutes per game are third in the league—likely auguring a predictable injury. Book has missed 15 or more games in 5 of the last 6 seasons. And of Nurk, Gordon, and Beal, only Gordon has played more than 60 games in any of the last four seasons. It seems too far-fetched a notion to count on this group of unfortunately snake-bitten stars to somehow have their relative health maintain and align at the right moment to be at full capacity for the postseason.