In the wake ofThe Shot — Tyrese Maxey’s 35-foot, overtime-forcing three-point dagger in Game 5 of the Sixers-Knicks series — I found myself thinking back to a far quieter moment, six months ago.

That November night the Sixers were three games into their season, and Maxey had already turned heads by ringing up 91 points, including 26 in that third game, a rout of Portland. Even before the game Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, a Hall of Fame guard during his playing days, had called Maxey “the straw that stirs the drink” for Philadelphia.

A few hours later, following a 126-98 Sixers victory, a pack of reporters moved about the home locker room — picture a polyester amoeba — before finally engulfing Maxey. He voiced the obligatory platitudes, and as things were breaking up I asked him about his perpetually sunny demeanor.

“When I come in happy every single day, I think I do a good job of building Jo (i.e., Joel Embiid) up — starting there and then going with the other guys as well,” he said.

Because this is what Maxey does — he chases the clouds away. In little ways like that, in big ways like he did during his 46-point explosion Tuesday in MSG and in even bigger ways when it comes to a franchise that has seemingly always been lost in a fog.

He has reduced the sorry sagas involving Ben Simmons and James Harden to mere footnotes in team history. No longer do we think about them forcing their way out of town. No longer are Harden’s playoff failures on our radar. And no longer do we concern ourselves with Simmons’ unfulfilled promise — with, for example, offseason workout videos that counted for absolutely nothing, once the team began playing for real.

Maxey has forced everyone to look forward, not back. He has made everyone look at possibilities, not pitfalls. The only bad feelings he engenders are among opposing fans. Like Tracy Morgan, who gave him The Finger after The Shot. Like Ben Stiller, who appeared to be, I guess, sneering at him. Like Jon Stewart, who looked like he had just lost his best friend.

Knicks fans hate Embiid. Really, really hate him. But they fear Maxey. They fear his speed and shot-making. His relentlessness and fearlessness. And, really, his effervescence. As they should.

The Sixers, down 3-2 in the series, still have much work to do. Anyone familiar with their history would not be stunned to see them lose either Game 6 on Thursday at home or Game 7 on Saturday in New York. Their MO has always been to raise everyone’s expectations and promptly crush them.

But Maxey gives them hope. That’s always been his MO.

Truth be told, positive vibes seem to surround him. It is fondly recalled in Sixers circles that a last-second three-pointer by ex-Sixer Mike Muscala in the next-to-last regular-season game in 2020 lifted Oklahoma City over Miami, and forced the Thunder to convey a first-round draft pick to Philadelphia. That’s because the pick was top-20-protected — meaning the Thunder would have kept it if it fell among the first 20. But as a result of that victory, it became No. 21.

The Sixers then used it on Maxey, who had spent a single season at Kentucky. If you want a good chuckle, take a look at some of those who went ahead of him in the 2020 draft. Anthony Edwards was chosen first by Minnesota, a pick that is even more inarguable today than it was then. But James Wiseman went next, and quickly washed out in Golden State. LaMelo Ball went No. 3, and has seen his career sidetracked by injury.

The only other player in the first 20 who is on par with Maxey is Tyrese Haliburton, who was taken 12th by Sacramento and has since seen his career reach full bloom in Indiana. Beyond that you have guys like Deni Avdija (No. 9, to Washington), Jalen Smith (No. 10, to Phoenix), Kira Lewis Jr. (No. 13, to New Orleans), Aleksej Pokusevski (No. 17, to Minnesota) and Precious Achiuwa (No. 20, to Miami).

Achiuwa, who is on his third team, had a nice view from the Knicks’ bench Tuesday night, as Maxey went off. As he erased a six-point deficit by scoring seven points in 17 seconds, in the dying moments of regulation. As he converted a four-point play against Mitchell Robinson. As he buried The Shot, a logo three that came after he splattered Deuce McBride on an Embiid screen at midcourt.

It was stunning. It was exhilarating. And it propelled the Sixers to victory in overtime.

This might sound like heresy on a site like this, but I don’t know if Maxey was truly the Most Improved Player in the league this season, even though he recently earned that trophy. There are other guys who probably improved more (not the least of which was Chicago’s Coby White, who nearly doubled his scoring average from a year ago). But what I do know is that Maxey — who is, in fact, always getting better — is among the most impactful, and most inspirational. That’s not only because of his play, but his demeanor.

Nor am I certain as to whether that will be enough to spark the Sixers to victory in this series. The Knicks are still formidable, and they fight like hell. But this latest manifestation of Maxey’s mastery will not be easily forgotten. Won’t be the last one, either. The guy keeps coming, keeps showing up. Every day, and in every way.