Tyrese Maxey went through it last season.
With Joel Embiid and Paul George in and out of the Philadelphia 76ers’ lineup last season, Maxey shouldered the burden of keeping their season alive. He encountered loads of double teams without adequate support to counteract them. As a result, Maxey’s efficiency tanked from his breakout 2023-24 season and he was at the forefront of the 76ers’ 24-win campaign.
But, the trials and tribulations only made him stronger.
Heading into the 2025-26 season, Maxey is primed to headline Philadelphia’s culture shift and truly take on the mantle of his nickname “The Franchise.” This could be the season where he evolves into the 76ers’ first option in every sense of the phrase as Embiid and George possibly face career-defining seasons.
“[Maxey has] really stepped up into a big leadership role as he has in the past,” Daryl Morey told Adam Aaronson of The Philly Voice at a fundraising event Saturday. “But, I could see him even becoming a more out-front leader of the team this year.”
Maxey had to fend for himself
Embiid and George played a combined 60 games last season, which naturally promoted Maxey to Philadelphia’s go-to scorer. However, his scoring abilities were limited as teams keyed in on him. Maxey often encountered blitzes off pick-and-rolls and was met with multiple defenders when venturing towards the rim.
Maxey was left in a tough position where he either had to force a contested shot or find the open man out of the double team. At face value, the latter may seem like the easy choice, but Maxey's teammates often couldn't capitalize on his gravity.
Still, Maxey posted a career-best 26.3 points per game, and his assists per game decreased by only 0.1 compared to the 2023-24 season. However, he experienced nearly a 4% downtick in three-point percentage, despite attempting nearly 10 triples each night. This was a byproduct of Maxey being forced into contested looks night after night.
"It's definitely hard,” Maxey said after Philadelphia’s loss to the New York Knicks on January 15th. “I've won at every level all my career, so I think [the losing] got it to me early. Now, I don't feel pressure or anything. I just feel like I want to go out there and compete every single night and I want whoever's out there to take the opportunity and don't take it for granted because it doesn't always come around like that in the NBA.”
There is hope
Now, Philadelphia is focused on its budding young core, which is headlined by Jared McCain, V.J. Edgecombe, Justin Edwards, and Adem Bona. Maxey, who will turn 25 years old in the upcoming season, is essentially the middle child between the 76ers’ youth and the veteranship of Embiid and George. This has made him the perfect candidate to merge these two timelines.
Maxey took this role and ran with it. He spearheaded a workout with Edgecombe, Kyle Lowry, and Trendon Watford, which took place during the summer at 6 a.m. at the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex in Camden, NJ.
“[Edgecombe is] interesting, I like him though,” Maxey said in an interview with 76ers content creator RB Philly Take Tuesday. “His charamisa, good guy, good kid. But, he works his tail off, he asks questions, he wants to be good. Those are the type of players you want to be around, players that really want to be great, want to win games, want to compete, want to do whatever it takes to help an organization become successful. We got blessed to be able to get him [with the third overall pick].”
The one-time all-star also sat courtside at Philadelphia’s Summer League game against the Charlotte Hornets on July 12th. Maxey setting the standard, both by example and through his leadership, could be pivotal in the development of the 76ers’ young core.