The Philadelphia 76ers universe will always revolve around Joel Embiid. And for good reason.
When healthy, he’s one of the best and most dominant basketball players in the world. The skill level for a player his size will always be intoxicating. His personality will always be there, but the questions about his durability and that he hasn’t yet won at the highest levels in his career will be a constant conversation point.
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Whenever Paul George heals from the bone bruise he suffered last week in Atlanta, plenty of eyes will be on his progression. And for good reason.
He’s Philly’s prized summer acquisition. But he’s also the kind of smooth, skilled big wing the 76ers have missed. His shotmaking and ability to break down a defense off the dribble could do wonders for opening space for Embiid, particularly in the playoffs. Like Embiid, the questions about his health and durability will be there, as will questions around his quest to finally be a champion.
Embiid and George are talented and dynamic. They can provide storylines that feed talk shows for weeks. But when you get into the nuts and bolts of how high the Philadelphia 76ers can rise, Tyrese Maxey may be the most important individual in that locker room, even if Embiid is the best player. Depending on whether Embiid and George are at optimal health when the playoffs roll around and whether they have enough gas in the tank to take advantage of that health, the Sixers are hoping to be a championship contender.
With the regular season starting Wednesday night at Wells Fargo Center against the Milwaukee Bucks, that won’t be easy. And that’s where Maxey comes in. Singularly, his talent is immense. He’s able to score in bunches and bend a defense off the dribble as few point guards in the league can. He’s proven himself to be a playoff riser. The chip on his shoulder from his days being overlooked on the AAU circuit resonates to this day.
The 76ers need Maxey. They need him to create points. They need him to create for others. Despite his youth — he’s still just 23 years old — they need him to lead. They need him to be the best version of himself.
“I think the biggest part is leadership,” Maxey told The Athletic. “I need to lead by example. I need to lead with my voice. I know that I’m young, but I have to play well and if I do that I can demand respect with my play. I think Joel has given me the green light to lead, especially because he doesn’t talk as much. I have a lot of veterans in the locker room that are here to help me. But I really want to set a good example just by how hard I work.”
The NBA today announced @sixers guard Tyrese Maxey as the @nbacares Bob Lanier Community Assist Award winner for the offseason.
Maxey is being recognized for his efforts in supporting youth in Philadelphia and his hometown of Dallas through the Tyrese Maxey Foundation.
More:… pic.twitter.com/5QDj9wjgkr
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) October 17, 2024
How do you build on a breakout season? How do you improve after making your first All-Star appearance, winning the NBA’s Most Improved Player and dropping almost 26 points per game? How do you take the massive chip on your shoulder when you’re announcing your arrival as a star player and keep it after you are a star player?
Those are the questions Maxey has to answer for himself heading into this season. He had prolonged flashes of excellence, and they were significant hints as to what was in store. But last season was the first time as an NBA player that it all came together at a star level. He was even better for the Sixers in their one playoff series against the New York Knicks, matching Knicks star Jalen Brunson shot for shot, and scoring seemingly at will.
“He’s super talented,” George said. “The scary part is that he’s still figuring out the game. He’s still learning how to be the dominant Tyrese Maxey. Once he learns how to do it on every possession, he’s going to be even better as a player. He’s really talented, but he’s also really humble and that’s an amazing trait for somebody so young to have. He’s mature beyond his years. My job is to help make the game easy for him, allow him to work off the ball and come off screens and do his thing. I’m here to help him, and he’s been very accepting of learning from other people It’s been a great partnership so far.”
On many days after practice this preseason, Maxey and George worked together, going through game situations, how they would react and play off one another. The one game where they had extended time together — a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves — they looked choppy together in the first quarter. Then, the second half came and they put on a show, getting into the lane at will, playing off one another, taking turns making shots.
The moment was fleeting for sure, because George only played extensive minutes in that one game. But you could see the vision of how dynamic the two could be on the floor together.
“You can really see it,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said. “The first thing when you talk about Paul George that I said is that you get a bucket-maker. But there are things we want to clean up, and we have to get them on the floor together a bit more and get them going a little bit. You have to get them together and get them a few more reps. There is a lot of newness, but we want to get everyone involved in the rhythm of the offense.”
What does improvement look like for Maxey? And why is he so important to the Sixers getting through the regular season?
Neither Embiid nor George will play all 82 games. They have both been officially ruled out of Wednesday night’s opener. In Embiid’s case, he may not play anywhere close to 82 games. If Maxey is the one star-level player on the roster whose availability during the regular season gets into the 70s in terms of games played, there will be nights when he is doing the heavy lifting. Those are the nights where he will have to thrive.
There are examples of this. Last February, in a win over the Utah Jazz, Maxey dropped a career-high 51 points. During the postseason, with Embiid hobbled and not at 100 percent, Maxey effectively became the No. 1 option in the series against the Knicks. Before the regular season starts, there isn’t a way to know what the availability of Embiid and George will look like. But barring injury, all things being equal, it’s fair to expect Maxey to have the most durability of the three.
Philadelphia executive Daryl Morey went through great pains to add depth to a roster. Specifically, going from Paul Reed to Andre Drummond as Embiid’s backup represents a significant leap. But two things here are true: Maxey is going to have nights where the offense will run through him, and the Sixers can’t afford to be a No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference, which is what they were last spring, which ultimately led to a first-round demise. The margins for improving on that seeding may very well come down to how many games the Sixers win without Embiid or George or both in the lineup.
“We don’t want Tyrese to be anything but himself,” Drummond said. “He’s so dynamic that he can create a shot whenever he wants. But he’s unselfish as well. I’m enjoying playing with him for sure.”
With George on the roster, maybe Maxey won’t score quite as much this season. But efficiency, running the offense, and defending well are areas he can look to improve upon. Maxey was plenty efficient last season. He shot 45 percent from the field and almost 38 percent from 3-point range. But Maxey’s offensive talent is vast. He’s capable of challenging for the fabled 50-40-90 club: shooting 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-point range and 90 percent from the free-throw line.
His improvement over the years has been steady yet spectacular. He was undervalued coming out of Kentucky, lasting until the 21st pick. He began his NBA career coming off the bench, and there are still times when Maxey thinks about his origins and knows how far he has come and how far he still has to progress.
“I have always had that chip with me from day one,” Maxey said. “I had to earn everything I got from a basketball perspective. I had to earn that Kentucky offer and make a name for myself. So, you always think about that. But I tried hard to foresee and envision this for myself. I am blessed because when I got here Doc (Rivers) gave me opportunities. He gave me the chance to be successful from day one.”
When Embiid, George and Maxey are on the floor, the Sixers clearly see themselves as being able to attack from every angle. And that’s where George can help Maxey. He can initiate offense, which means when Maxey won’t have to bring the ball up every possession, call the plays, get Philly into its offense and do the scoring. The presence of Maxey and George should do wonders for Embiid in terms of spacing and finding more room to work his offensive magic in all areas of the floor.
But Maxey’s playoff series last April is perhaps the best sign of all. It means Philadelphia has someone who elevates his game in the postseason. And the Sixers have long needed that.
“The biggest thing about the playoffs is how physical it gets,” Maxey said. “I had been to the playoffs before, but that was my first time being a featured guy that the other team schemes against. So it was good to have some success but I wanted to learn from it, take what I learned into the summer and get better.”
(Photo: Mitchell Leff / Getty Images)
