76ers continue to lose Jared McCain trade as Tyrese Maxey makes brutal admission

Things are going from bad to catastrophic for the Philadelphia 76ers. With Joel Embiid sidelined indefinitely following emergency surgery for appendicitis, Tyrese Maxey has now shared that a finger issue is limiting his performance on the court. The Sixers stand little chance of making a deep postseason run without Embiid. Removing Maxey from the picture would only amplify the noise surrounding their decision to trade Jared McCain.

Winning a championship takes more than a team possessing elite talent and inventive coaching; it requires luck -- something Philadelphia has not had in several years. However, a Tyrese Maxey injury seemed inevitable due to the unforgiving role Nick Nurse has burdened the star with throughout the 2025-26 NBA season.

Injuries are part of a normal season; this is why NBA franchises are allowed to sign 15 players to their roster. But the 15 players they provide contracts to must be capable of making a positive impact. The 76ers had this option in Jared McCain before shipping him off to the Oklahoma City Thunder at the trade deadline. Now, Daryl Morey must face the consequences of his decision as Maxey makes an admission no Sixers fan wanted to hear.

Tyrese Maxey confirms his finger injury is hindering his performances

From a distance, if a player records 32 points, eight rebounds, and five assists during a 105-94 victory over the Indiana Pacers, it would usually be safe to assume they had performed at an impressive level. This was not quite the case for Philadelphia's electric guard.

Maxey struggled to enact his usual damage from deep, recording just 10% (1-10) from three-point range. To make matters worse, his efficiency was not much better when driving into the paint. Overall, Maxey shot 39.3% from the floor from 28 field-goal attempts. Despite his shooting woes and it being evident that the 76ers' star was in discomfort -- even more so after falling on his left wrist in the third quarter -- he still chalked up 39 minutes on the court.

During his postgame locker room interview, Maxey told reporters, "The finger is a little funny. So I got a little timid, but I don't have time to be timid right now." He defiantly continued by saying, "My teammates need me... I just want to be here for my teammates."

This interview alone shows that Maxey refuses to quit on his team. It is going to take an army of coaches to prevent him from entering the court come playoff time, which in itself proves the vast development of his leadership skills this season. Nevertheless, this brave attitude will not help the 76ers excel. They need Maxey at full strength and at the devastating performance levels he reached earlier in the season.

The Philadelphia 76ers are spiraling at the worst possible time, entering the postseason under a terrifying cloud of uncertainty. With Joel Embiid sidelined indefinitely, the last thing the franchise could afford was for Tyrese Maxey to be limited by his own injury issues. Now, a troubling question must be raised: if Philadelphia were serious about a championship tilt, why did they reduce squad depth by trading Jared McCain?