76ers fans have gone too far with maddening false narrative of Tyrese Maxey

Maybe it was someone's tweet about Stephon Castle being better than Tyrese Maxey. Or, it may have been the countless posts within the Philadelphia 76ers’ fandom stating that he isn't a true point guard. Whatever it was, I’m tired of the Maxey disrespect and it needs to stop. 

Is Maxey a real point guard?

The main narrative being thrown around is that the 76ers’ offense won't be maximized if Maxey is their leading playmaker. I’m not going to sit here and say he’s a floor general, but for fans to act like he’s a black hole is madness. Last season, Maxey led Philadelphia in assists per game with 6.1, the second-best mark of his career.

Keep in mind, Joel Embiid and Paul George were in and out of the lineup because of various injuries. Most nights all Maxey had to work with were a banged-up George, Kelly Oubre Jr, and Guerschon Yabusele. Not to mention, it seemed like Maxey was drawing the largest amount of double teams and blitzes of his 76ers tenure and rightfully so.

Were there stretches where Maxey could've done better as a playmaker? Absolutely. Per 100 possessions, he created only 13.4 potential assists, which ranked in the 54th percentile last season. Culminating from a mix of frustration and Philadelphia’s lack of offensive firepower, he tended to force self-created threes at times. 

But, when you factor in the context of this season, you’ll realize most combo guards in his situation likely wouldn't have fared any better. What's more, the 76ers’ offense scored 6.2 fewer points per 100 possessions when Maxey was off the floor. With Maxey on the court, they had an offensive rating of 115.3, which would rank 13th in the NBA. 

Does it even matter?

Don't get me wrong, Maxey isn't a floor general like Chris Paul or Rajon Rondo. He needs to evolve as someone who can organize Philadelphia into its actions and create deeper advantages off his rim gravity. Between him, Joel Embiid, Paul George, and even Jared McCain, the 76ers should have a sufficient playmaking committee to roll out a quality offense. 

As Austin Krell of OnPattison pointed out, if you take a look at the last two NBA championships in the 2024-25 Oklahoma City Thunder and the 2023-24 Boston Celtics, you’ll notice something. Neither of those teams had a truly elite playmaker, yet both of them were able to field elite offenses through creativity and collective ball movement. 

Heading into next season, the 76ers will face a lot of unknowns. But, if they're relatively healthy, stringing together a quality offense with Maxey at the helm should be lower on their list of worries.