ESPN insider Bobby Marks has made a bold statement regarding the Philadelphia 76ers, hailing Tyrese Maxey as the face of the franchise over reigning league MVP Joel Embiid.
“I think Tyrese Maxey is the face of the franchise, I don’t think it’s Joel Embiid. I think Maxey is more reliable, you know what you’re going to get. As dominant as Embiid can be in games, I think Tyrese Maxey is the face of the franchise.”
Marks explained how Embiid’s continued injury woes make him question whether he’s the person a championship team should be constructed around.
“Embiid is certainly an MVP candidate when he’s on the court, but it’s all about availability. That’s the big thing. You don’t know when the availability is going to be there, whether it was last year or the year before.”
Marks believes keeping Maxey happy should be the 76ers’ new priority.
“If I’m building a team, as great as Embiid has been, I’m looking to square off my point guard who continuously bails, he bailed them out last night.”
FACE OF THE FRANCHISE @BobbyMarks42 has Tyrese Maxey over Joel Embiid for the face of the #76ers franchise pic.twitter.com/vSpbJlU09G
— UNSPORTSMANLIKE Radio (@UnSportsESPN) May 1, 2024
Tyrese Maxey has been a revelation for the 76ers this season, being awarded the NBA Most Improved Player Award for elevating himself to the All-Star level. He averaged 25.9 points and 6.2 assists over the season, but his statistical improvement isn’t the whole story.
As great as Maxey has been, the team was not winning games when he was on the court without Joel Embiid this season. Maxey’s record without Embiid was 14-20, as the 76ers went 31-8 when Embiid played. He’s their best player and willed the 76ers to a Game 3 win with a 50-point performance similar to what Maxey did in Game 5.
They are fantastic co-stars, and Maxey will likely become the face of the franchise, given his seven-year age gap with Embiid. But until Embiid hasn’t fallen off to the point of being worse than Maxey, it’s unlikely the team will alienate the superstar big man.
How Long Will Joel Embiid Be The Face Of The 76ers?
Joel Embiid has had to battle to earn his position as a superstar in the NBA. He dealt with major injury issues to start his career and then had to blossom as a secondary priority behind Ben Simmons.
After the 2018-19 season, it seemed the 76ers committed to building around Embiid fully but Simmons didn’t fall out of favor until 2021, the year Maxey started getting rotational minutes.
Embiid has been a perennial MVP candidate with the franchise focused on him but the team is yet to fight past their second-round ceiling. They’re looking to overturn a 3-1 series deficit against the Knicks, which they’ve already started clawing at by forcing Game 6. If they fall short this season and Embiid’s health remains questionable, a changing of the guard may be afoot.
Rather than making the argument black and white between Embiid and Maxey, we should monitor how they develop as a duo. With the 76ers having max cap space in the summer, the team could add a third star into the mix to form a core trio.
Championships aren’t won on the back of one player. They all need to work together to be successful. Embiid is the face now but none of that matters if all of it is for no title success.
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