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The Philadelphia 76ers' first season with the trio of Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey was nothing short of a disaster, with all three dealing with injuries as the Sixers immediately went from Eastern Conference contender to one of the worst teams in the conference.
Now, after drafting VJ Edgecombe with the third pick, the 76ers are looking toward next season, which could be everything last year wasn't. But longtime Miami Heat player Udonis Haslem is cautioning against getting too excited about Philadelphia if someone doesn't step up and lead the way.
“The talent is there, I have no problem with the talent. But establish your leadership,” Haslem said of the 76ers on ‘NBA Today' yesterday. “Who are we gonna follow in that locker room? Who is going to be the voice? It's not going to be a Joel Embiid. He's not going to play every game; not everyone can do what Joel Embiid does. He's gonna sit out practices; most guys can't sit out practices. Is it going to be Paul George? We've seen that before. We've seen him with the Clippers; he is not a leader. A great player, but he is not the leader.
“You need to establish a leader, and in my opinion, that leader needs to be Tyrese Maxey. I know he's young, I know it's a lot to put on his shoulders. He is the guy who shows up every night. He is the guy who is in practice every day. He is the guy who is vocal, and if I'm not mistaken, he is the guy who also challenged Joel Embiid about being present when he needed to be present. So yes, on paper it looks good, but if you don't have leadership, if you haven't established that leader in your locker room, I don't know if you're successful.”
"Establish your leadership. Who will be the voice?… That leader needs to be Tyrese Maxey. He is the guy who shows up every night.”
Udonis Haslem on the Sixers 👀
(via @ESPNNBA)pic.twitter.com/5tsFQ5TmiF
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 2, 2025
As Haslem noted, Maxey reportedly confronted Embiid about being late “for everything” during an early team meeting. Embiid, who accepted the call-out, according to reports, subsequently bemoaned that details from the meeting were leaked to the media.
Unfortunately for the Sixers, the meeting did not turn around their season. After starting the season predicted to be among the best teams in the conference, Philadelphia finished 24-58, the third-worst record in the East. Maxey, Embiid, and George played just 15 games together, as each battled through various injuries; Maxey played 52 games, George suited up for 41, and Embiid, who appeared hobbled during the Summer Olympics, played 19 games before undergoing season-ending arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, which he also had an operation for a year earlier.
