After their latest loss on the road, the Philadelphia 76ers have now kickstarted the 2024-25 season with two losses to their name. While it’s still way too early to have them simmer in a cauldron of overreactions, the tight race in the East makes it nonethless far from ideal.
If there’s a silver lining to these losses, though, it’s that the team has not looked helpless. Despite missing two All-Stars in Joel Embiid and Paul George, the club has made both contests remain competitive. It’s a testament to the overall depth of talent on this roster, one that the front office carefully stewarded in view of this exact situation.
Having said that, it would be disingenuous to just laser in on the moral victories in their first couple of outings. As many might know by now, the 76ers have not seen what they’d hoped to see from their remaining All-Star, Tyrese Maxey.
Early slip-up shows Tyrese Maxey is not ready to be the No. 1 guy yet for the 76ers
With the 76ers in dire need of a clear-cut pecking order while hobbled, it’s only natural for Maxey to rise to the plate as the designated alpha. However, the returns have not looked good so far.
Against the Bucks and the Raptors, Maxey has drained just a combined 16 out of 54 field goal attempts, good for a meager 29.6 percent shooting from the field. He’s also canned just four out of 21 three-point tries, amounting to a 19 percent conversion rate from downtown.
Two games do not — and should not — paint a clear picture, but the brewing sentiment about the 76ers possible exploring shifting its focus on Maxey as the No. 1 guy for the franchise is quite premature. The soon-to-be 24-year-old is still a budding superstar whose best days are well ahead of him. Clocking him in as the player to hand the keys to the franchise would not be akin to a win-now maneuver.
For the 76ers to be in the best position to contend for the championship, Maxey has to be joined by Embiid and George. That troika boasts the most sensible and synergistic fit in the NBA. At its very best, it could catapult the franchise into the Larry O’Brien trophy.
Tyrese Maxey definitely has the makings of a franchise centerpiece, but for now, everyone must be reminded that he’s still growing with every passing game. Until he fully matriculates into a leader both on and off the court, the Philadelphia 76ers will still have its fate determined with Joel Embiid propelling them.