Tyrese Maxey is so good that Sixers fans have forgotten the team is paying $106 million to two guys who play about half the time. Okay, maybe they haven't forgotten — it's kind of hard to ignore that. But Maxey has leveled up his game once again in year six, averaging nearly 30 points per game and shooting nearly 40 percent from 3-point range, and the vibes he provides are so blindingly positive that the vibe among Sixers fans is more positive now than it has been in a few years.
As it stands, the Sixers are... Decent! They're 24-20, which is just three games back of the No. 3 seed, but just three games up on the No. 10 seed. After a 24-58 season in 2024-25, being above .500 feels like we're watching the 2016 Warriors, and Maxey is the biggest reason for that.
He's approaching the status of a guy who is good enough to keep a team at least competitive each year. And on a team where two other stars are question marks to be on the court every night, that's not small potatoes. It's not the exact situation that teams want to be in — look at the Milwaukee Bucks, for example — but a superstar is better than, well, no superstars.
Tyrese Maxey is good enough to ease Sixers fans other worries
And, understandably, there are lots of other worries. From a team-building perspective, having Embiid and George both under contract through (likely) 2028 hamstrings what is possible. It's tough to add high-level talent with two unmovable $100-plus million deals. But when a team hits outside the margins, hits in the draft (like GM Daryl Morey did with Maxey and rookie VJ Edgecombe) those pills are a little easier to swallow.
Also, Joel Embiid and Paul George have both been (when they do take the court) pretty good! Embiid isn't posting historically good scoring numbers anymore, and Paul George isn't a two-way superstar, but they're both helpful when they're on the court.
But them not being out there no longer dooms this team to a near-guaranteed loss, and that's a testament to Maxey's growth, to Edgecombe's immediate impact, and the smart roster that Morey built around the stars.
The problems in Philadelphia aren't gone; this is one of the most chaotic franchises in sports, and probably always will be. But the problems don't seem as big with this version of Maxey running things.