Thanks to some recent developments, the Philadelphia 76ers suddenly have the stylings of a team that could eventually shock a lot of people next season — in a good way. Almost out of nowhere, Joel Embiid appears to be in his best playing shape in years, which will be a massive lift for one of the league’s most talented rosters, at least on paper.
Having said that, getting back to contention would require a lot more than Embiid’s nightly appearance for the 76ers. Their young players need to pan out and be NBA-ready right from the get go, and veteran players like Paul George also have no margin of error if this team aims to return to relevance.
Ultimately, though, it could actually be Tyrese Maxey who dictates just what the ceiling of this team is. The talented guard turned in some of his best numbers last season, but his efficiency most certainly took a hit as a result of defenses doubling down on him with Embiid and George constantly out due to injuries.
With those two back in the fold, Maxey should see his shooting splits return to normal. Yet to maximize the team’s chances, he had to take another significant leap in a different area.
Tyrese Maxey must take a huge step forward as a playmaker for the 76ers to return to title contention
Over the last couple of seasons, Maxey definitely improved as a playmaker. He has been able to create for others with more frequency, savoring his new role as the lead guard for the 76ers.
But to be frank, his current level as a facilitator is far from enough. Philadelphia needs to extract more out of him as a table-setter to transpose the offense into a more well-rounded and less predictable attack.
He will probably never reach the level of a James Harden or a peak Ben Simmons, but Maxey has to get to that level where he is comfortable operating in the half court without a bucket always being the end result.
If he can take that leap as a passer, the 76ers will be able to unlock a new dimension of their scoring attack, especially from other players like Jared McCain and VJ Edgecombe, among others.
Such a degree of progress does not have to come overnight, but if the 76ers still have a championship in sight, that is what Tyrese Maxey has to do next season and moving forward.