The Philadelphia 76ers have enjoyed a career year from Tyrese Maxey during the regular season. The 25-year-old was the main propeller for the team, turning in career-best marks in points, assists, and steals per outing while also leading the league in minutes. Fans can definitely feel some sense of ownership from him over the squad, which is what they need exactly with the franchise still testing its limits.
There is danger, however, in coming to the design where Maxey is the best player on the team. That is precisely the reason why the preferred dynamic for this group is to have Joel Embiid firmly entrenched as the best player. And if this season has proven one thing, it is that the former Most Valuable Player is still the main determinant of just how far this team can go.
Unfortunately, that sentiment about Embiid remains partly hypothetical. While he has been one of the best feel-good stories in the league with his stellar play when healthy, his injury concerns have only grown more, which has basically cudgeled the 76ers into actively recognizing Maxey as the man in Philly.
The 76ers are learning that Tyrese Maxey cannot be their best player
Is having Maxey as your best player a bad thing? Obviously, that is glib –– if not erroneous –– sailing. He is still a couple of years away from his prime but has already performed at an All-NBA level. Even better, his room for improvement is still pretty ample enough that it can be reasonably perceived that he can still climb another echelon.
Getting to that next level beyond the raw figures, however, is the tricky propositon. Maxey has one elite skill –– individual three-level scoring. That is pretty much it, though. At this point in his career, he is not a high-level playmaker. He is no game-changer on the defensive end. His efficiency is not off the charts.
There are only very few players in the NBA whom people can safely bill as "1A stars". Maxey, without a doubt, can still get to that degree of high profiling, but for now, suffice to say that he does not have the stylings to be a real Batman.
Growth is not linear, though. That is what works in his favor. He is still pretty young in his own right with his best years still ahead of him. Be that as it may, right now, Tyrese Maxey is not yet good enough to catapult the 76ers into new heights.
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