This season, Tyrese Maxey may have established himself as a true No. 1 option for the Philadelphia 76ers moving forward. But the team around him still needs some work (especially in the absence of Joel Embiid and Paul George) if they want to firmly stand as a legitimate title contender in the NBA.
In a recent episode of The Athletic's "Slam 'n' Jam" podcast, podcaster Trill Bro Dude spoke about Maxey's impressive season and ability to be a No. 1 option moving forward, while also acknowledging that Philadelphia has a lot of flaws on the roster it must address.
"Maxey was pretty terrible to start last year without Embiid. ... I would say Maxey has definitely been better without Joel this year. ... But, I mean, he has to play 40 minutes a game just for [the 76ers] to have a chance in any given game," he said.
"And I think the conversation about Maxey being a No. 1 option... I don't think that Maxey's ever gonna be a traditional No. 1, like I said, just what you think of when you think of a No. 1 option in the NBA, but I do think there's a chance that you can build a system, kind of like the Sixers have done this year where you're getting him involved in unique ways... but the issue continues to be when Paul George and Joel Embiid are out, they are playing basically G League players still occasionally."
The 76ers need to get Tyrese Maxey more help
Maxey has gradually improved in each season of his NBA career, and that has been no different this year.
Through 61 games, the 25-year-old has averaged 29 points, 4.1 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 2 steals. He is also shooting 46.1% from the field and 37.3% from deep in 38.3 minutes per game (which leads the NBA). Additionally, he was selected to his second career All-Star team.
Maxey is playing the best basketball of his NBA career and is becoming a much more well-rounded player, but it's not enough for the 76ers to be legitimate title contenders.
With a little over a month left in the season, Philadelphia is 34-29 and owns the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. However, the team is just three games ahead of the No. 10 seed Charlotte Hornets while they deal with injuries to Maxey, Embiid, and VJ Edgecombe, as well as the absence of George, who remains suspended.
The 76ers don't have a ton of depth beyond their top players. Their center depth behind Embiid is very troubling, and they don't have anyone on the roster who can confidently step up when Maxey isn't on the court (especially if Edgecombe is out as well).
As it stands, Philadelphia is not good enough to realistically compete for a championship, and that's not even factoring in the Boston Celtics getting Jayson Tatum back and the Indiana Pacers eventually getting their star back as well in Tyrese Haliburton.
The 76ers should feel confident in Maxey being their guy moving forward. But until they get more help around him, their championship drought is likely to continue.