Tyrese Maxey erases all doubt about where he fits in NBA's hierarchy

Entering the 2026 NBA Playoffs, Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey ranked among the players with the most to prove. He'd turned in the best regular season of his career and looked the part of a franchise palyer, but skeptics remained as they waited to see if he could live up to the hype in the postseason.

By leading the 76ers past the Boston Celtics, Maxey has firmly solidified his place as a true NBA superstar and an unquestionable franchise player.

Maxey finished the 2025-26 regular season averaging 28.3 points, 6.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 1.9 steals, and 3.1 three-point field goals made per game on .462/.367/.892 shooting. He deservedly earned his second career All-Star Game appearance and should receive his first-ever All-NBA nod.

That inevitably raised expectations, but given the fact that the 76ers reached the playoffs through the Play-In Tournament, skepticism persisted.

It certainly didn't help Maxey's case that the 76ers missed the playoffs in 2024-25. He was excellent in 2024, averaging 29.8 points and 6.8 assists per game, but Philadelphia exited the playoffs in the first round—further adding fuel to the fire that became advance-or-bust expectations in 2026.

Thankfully, Maxey permanently silenced the criticism that he hadn't won a playoff series in a star-level role by leading Philadelphia to its first playoff series win over Boston since 1982.

Tyrese Maxey is unequivocally a franchise player after beating Celtics

Maxey was brilliant during the first-round defiance of the Celtics. After Philadelphia lost three different playoff series to Boston during the Joel Embiid era, it fell behind 3-1 in 2026 and appeared destined to drop a fourth.

Maxey responded to adversity with 25 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a block on 10-of-18 shooting to lead Philadelphia to a 113-97 win to extend the series.

When Game 6 returned to The City of Brotherly Love, Maxey went off to the tune of 30 points and five assists in a 106-93 win that sent the series to an improbable Game 7. Just when it seemed as though he couldn't get any better, the new face of the franchise delivered under pressure.

Maxey posted 30 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists in the decisive Game 7, scoring 10 points in the final 5:20 of the fourth quarter of a stunning 109-100 win. In the process, he and Embiid made history.

With the franchise players leading the 76ers to their first playoff series win since 2023, Maxey has proven without a shadow of a doubt that he is a true NBA superstar.

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