Due to his outstanding offensive displays this season, Tyrese Maxey is currently viewed as the future cornerstone of the Philadelphia 76ers. On top of this, Joel Embiid's lack of availability over recent years has raised the question of whether the franchise needs to hand the reins to a younger, more physically able model. However, a mixture of Embiid's resurgence and the Sixers' inability to perform without their superstar has shown that they must not transition away from 'The Process' just yet.
Nobody can deny that over the years, Joel Embiid has had the immense pressure of the City of Philadelphia on his shoulders, and without him on the floor, the 76ers have struggled to resemble anything close to a winning team.
Case in point, during the 2024-25 season in which the 31-year-old featured just 19 times, the franchise only accumulated 24 wins. Without Embiid in the lineup, the Sixers looked lifeless, lacked innovation, and showcased that without their dominant center to build an offense around, they posed little threat to even the weaker opponents on their schedule.
This year was perceived as different. Maxey would be granted the keys to Philadelphia's offense, while Embiid foraged for a feasible solution to his injury curse, which continued to plague his career. Individually, this has paid dividends for the electric guard, resulting in a second All-Star selection, while averaging 29.9 points, 6.8 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game. Despite these career-high numbers, Philadelphia continues to struggle unless Maxey is partnered with Embiid.
Philadelphia lacks potency without Joel Embiid in the lineup
Embiid's resurgence this season has been nothing short of remarkable. He has already surpassed the number of games that he featured in during the previous campaign (24), and is doing so by proving he can still perform at a dominant level. The 2023 MVP has recorded 25.1 points and 7.4 rebounds, while shooting 48.6% from the floor.
Yet, even though his recovery has been miraculous, Embiid's ability to participate in back-to-back fixtures is nonexistent. Maxey's development into an elite scoring guard has not proven effective as the 76ers attempt to replace Embiid's presence when he is unavailable for selection.
In January, the Philadelphia 76ers have been triumphant in seven of the 11 games Embiid has featured in. In comparison, the Kansas graduate has been inactive for three games during this time; the Sixers failed to win any of these matchups -- including a blowout 93-130 defeat to the Charlotte Hornets.
Fans of the Philadelphia 76ers may have believed that Tyrese Maxey was the new king of the franchise, but the numbers do not lie. When Joel Embiid cannot participate in matches, the team is a wounded animal that fails to pose a significant threat. Obviously, Embiid is still the face of the franchise, and his health will be an essential component in the Sixers' ambitions to win a championship.