The Sixers appear to be entering a new era, and the center of it is Tyrese Maxey. What once felt like Joel Embiid’s franchise, and later a shared dynamic with Paul George, has started to shift from within the organization. According to reporting from Ramona Shelburne, Philadelphia now views Maxey as the true face of the team.
“I think the feeling is that this is Tyrese Maxey’s team, and over the summer it started to turn that page because people just frankly didn’t know when Paul George and Joel Embiid would be able to play, and so the Sixers had to pivot, and it turns out Tyrese Maxey is really good and he is the franchise now.”
The 76ers were building around Embiid for years, and he was the center of everything they did. Drafted third overall in 2013, he became their leading star and face, even winning MVP in 2023 with averages of 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game on 54.8 percent shooting.
Sadly, Embiid’s career has been in decline for the past three seasons. Dating back to the 2023-24 campaign, he has played just sixty-five games combined for the Sixers, with only one All-Star appearance to show for it.
That is not to mention his veteran co-star, Paul George, who joined in 2024. He has played only forty-six games over the last two seasons, and his play this year has been especially concerning with averages of 14.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.0 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game on 41.4 percent shooting. He is currently day-to-day with a knee injury, but his decline has been evident for some time.
With both of their veteran stars aging out, the 76ers have no choice but to lean on Maxey, and he has delivered with his best season yet. In nineteen games so far, he is averaging 32.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 7.6 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game on 46.8 percent shooting (38.4 percent from three).
His growth, reliability, and willingness to anchor the offense have made him the natural leader, and the organization has embraced him as such. While it has not translated to much winning this season, he is the only thing keeping them relevant in the Eastern Conference.
At 10-9 and ninth in the standings, Philadelphia is tracking toward a play-in spot, but Maxey hopes to take them higher. If he can maintain this level of production and get help from players like V.J. Edgecombe and Quentin Grimes, it will go a long way toward establishing the 76ers as a true playoff threat in the East.
Of course, if Paul George and Joel Embiid return healthy, it will put the 76ers into an entirely different conversation. At full strength, they have the talent to beat any opponent, but Maxey is the key.
The electric scoring guard has already proven he can carry the responsibility, and the Sixers are clearly ready to follow his lead. His rise has given the franchise a new direction at a time when its veterans have struggled to stay on the floor. If Philadelphia can get healthy and rally around its new centerpiece, this group still has a path to becoming a real threat in the East.
