LeBon James is a four-time MVP, Joel Embiid is an MVP and two-time scoring champion, and Jaylen Brown is a Finals MVP. With this in mind, Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse could've easily shifted his offense's focal point to Brown or James as new arrivals, or Embiid as a player who finally appears to be healthy.
If the 76ers' first two regular season games are a sign of things to come, however, then it would appear as though Nurse is still grounded in reality and playing through his best player: Tyrese Maxey.
Maxey may not have the same reputation or résumé as his superstar teammates, but he's the heart and soul of the 76ers. He sets the tone for everyone around him with his joyful energy and all-out intensity on both ends of the floor, and is a top-tier scorer who continues to improve.
Still just 25 years of age, Maxey is a force of nature who's coming off of a season during which he averaged 28.3 points and 6.6 assists per game on .462/.367/.892 shooting.
Due to his ability to play with or without the ball, however, Maxey was a candidate to take something of a backseat to his teammates. Just because a player can be a complementary piece doesn't mean they should be, however, and Nurse appears aware of that thus far.
Not only has Maxey been his team's leading scorer through two games, but he's been the clear and steady focal point on the offensive end of the floor.
Tyrese Maxey is still the 76ers' focal point—and he should be
Philadelphia opened the season with a 106-100 win over the New York Knicks that saw Maxey take center stage. He scored a game-high 28 points, which was nine more than any of his teammates. He did so on 19 field goal attempts—four more than any of his teammates.
The next time out, Maxey led the 76ers to a 29-point comeback and a 114-106 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers that saw him score a game-high 32 points and take a team-high 23 shots.
Maxey also tied for the team lead with six assists against Cleveland and his five dimes against New York ranked third on the team—just two behind team leader LeBron James with seven. He's also No. 1 on the 76ers in usage rate at 26.3.
Across the board, Maxey has been the 76ers' most prominently featured player and there truthfully isn't any reason to move away from that strategy.
Embiid is a dominant force, but he's played 59 games since the start of the 2024-25 season. James is an all-time great, but he'll turn 42 in roughly two months. Brown could make a strong case for the No. 1 role, but he's also joining a team that's played through Maxey for several seasons—and it has no reason to believe it needs to stop doing so based on how well he's played.
The 76ers have too much talent to not get all four of their stars consistent touches and shot attempts, but Nurse running his offense through Maxey is a sign that he knows who his engine and arguably his best player still is.
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