Tyrese Maxey is currently the No. 1 option in Philadelphia with Joel Embiid sidelined.
It comes as both a curse and blessing that Tyrese Maxey is the last star standing in Philadelphia.
Curse, because one-by-one, the others who towered next to him either flamed out, bailed out or limped out, in that order. Ben Simmons, James Harden, Joel Embiid (temporarily, in his case).
Blessing, because in each instance, at each setback, the Sixers saw the development of a now-23-year-old keeper, and he snatched each chance to soar and show worth, and it gave them the reassuring comfort of a grandmother’s hug.
Don’t worry … he can handle this … he has arrived.
He has the ball now, and the green light, and the Philadelphia freedom to take control. And he is being charged to salvage, if not save, the season until Embiid, the reigning league Kia MVP healing a repaired knee, can walk without a wince again, whenever that is.
As the Sixers prepare Tuesday for the Celtics (7:30 ET, TNT), there’s immediate urgency to pump the brakes on the free-fall caused by Embiid’s absence. They were in third place in the East on Jan. 29, now they’re an oil slick away from slipping into Play-In territory.
“I hope the big guy hurries back,” said Maxey, laughing semi-nervously.
He pauses.
“But I feel confident being put in this situation. I feel like I’m made for this.”
As he should. His high-energy game stays under control. He is gear-shifty, can get to the rim, execute a step-back, drop a 3-pointer.
He is finally a better passer. His defense is satisfactory enough to remain in the good graces of coach Nick Nurse. Best of all, considering the circumstances that accelerated this urgency and made him a lead singer, he’s available.
“James and I still talk to this day,” Maxey said. “He tells me, ‘Man, when I watch you, I knew this was coming. I know a lot of people didn’t, but I did.’ Ben believed in me, too. I love those guys. Not because they didn’t come back. Because they believed in me. Same for Joel.
“I think about it every day, how the situation changed and created opportunities for me. Every day.”
The making of Maxey (and the end of Ben)
Tyrese Maxey has soared toward Kia Most Improved Player consideration, but with Joel Embiid out, can he now elevate his teammates?
The Sixers did something in 2019 that improved their point guard problem, although nobody knew it at the time. And it didn’t involve Simmons.
• Markelle Fultz was drafted No. 1 overall in 2017, but hurt his shoulder, and his shooting technique went sideways. The Sixers cut bait. They swung a trade with Orlando for a top-20 protected 2020 first-round pick.
• That pick landed at 21, lucky for Philly.
• Even better, the Sixers used it on Maxey.
At the time, the Sixers were seemingly set with Simmons, a three-time All-Star in Philly. And instinctively, despite his size, Maxey was a shooting guard by habit, anyway.
But Simmons melted down in the 2020-21 playoffs. The next fall, he held out. And he never suited up for the Sixers again.
Maxey came off the bench as a rookie, hardly played deep into fourth quarters, averaged 8 points and shot 30.1% from deep.
Not especially inspiring, however:
“There was a time in practice my rookie year. I was with the third group. We beat the second and first group in a couple of drills. Joel said, ‘I think you can help us at some point.’ He told me to go out and be myself.”
Here comes Harden
The Sixers flipped one disgruntled point guard for another in 2022, getting Harden for Simmons. Harden was a ball-dominant former scoring champ. But he adapted his game to suit Embiid. And strangely enough, didn’t roadblock Maxey in the process.
On the contrary: Maxey started next to Harden, saw his minutes increase by 20 per night, and produced. His scoring jumped from 8 points to 17.5. For the first time, the Sixers ran plays for him.
“When we traded for James, I felt I was getting better every day,” Maxey said. “When James came in, he was extremely aggressive in my development. He was always on me about how I work.”
It was all good … until it wasn’t. Much like Simmons a few years earlier, Harden went out meekly in the 2023 playoffs. Compounding matters, he sought a contract extension. When the Sixers hesitated, he held out, wanted out.
Suddenly, the Sixers needed a point guard again. This time, their search stayed within.
“Tyrese was ready,” Harden says now.
Really? Well: Maxey by nature was a scorer, not a playmaker. His career assist average was just four per game. He had to rewire his brain and his game, especially to feed Embiid in the post. And get others involved.
He needed reassurance, and got it.
“This year coming in, Joel told me I’m going to be an All-Star,” Maxey said. “When the MVP believes in you, then you have to have confidence in yourself. I knew I had to go out and play like an All-Star.”
Embiid’s temporary exit
The Sixers were sashaying along for much of the season, helped generously by Embiid averaging a league-leading and very efficient 35.3 points plus 11.3 rebounds in 34 games. Then, the club absorbed a gut punch.
Embiid’s sketchy left knee wobbled after the Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga landed on it Feb. 7 and, after being diagnosed with a meniscus issue that required surgery, hasn’t played since. There’s no official timetable for his return, but he’ll be reevaluated in early March.
Suddenly, from a rookie who seldom played, to a supporting cast player, to where he is now — a first option — it has been a whiplash-inducing acceleration for Maxey. But a natural and effortless one, based on how he’s responding.
“He’s pure, a hard worker, loves his teammates and the game,” Nurse said. “More talented than I thought. He’s got a long way to go to unlock all of that. He can be a 25-30 points a game scorer and run the team every night. If anyone can do it, it’s him.”
There’s a silver lining to Embiid’s absence, much like the departures of Simmons and Harden — Maxey is forced into an expanded role that will only benefit him and the Sixers.
Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid have developed great chemistry on the floor together.
Without Embiid, Maxey is getting fourth-quarter crunch-time experience that should be useful once — and assuming — Embiid returns for the playoffs. Even though Maxey will slide back into No. 2, suddenly the Sixers will confidently have two players who can take the final shot.
“Even when I didn’t play that much, I put in the work,” he explained. “I never lost confidence. When the minutes increased, I changed my approach and my mind, trying to be right for the mental part of the game.
“I’ve had to manipulate the game, dictate the game. I think that’s a skill a lot of great guards have, and I needed to have. I’ve seen a lot of defenses this season because of my new role. I’ve kind of adapted to it.”
In that sense, his breakout mirrors two others taken in the 2020 Draft — Anthony Edwards and the other Tyrese (Haliburton), each gaining traction in the league and carrying big hopes into the postseason.
“It’s a slept-on Draft class,” Maxey said. “Guys like (Immanuel) Quickly and myself fell in the first round, even Jaden McDaniels. I’m always rooting for those guys. We’ve been very successful for our organizations and we’re not just having individual success. We’re winning games.”
Falling to No. 21 in the Draft, then rising to the temporary No. 1 option with the contending Sixers in four years. Maxey has welcomed the challenge and chance.
“Opportunity is what the NBA is about and you have to take it when you get it,” he said. “You just don’t know when you’re going to get it.”
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.
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