Tyrese Maxey is finally back in the lineup for the Philadelphia 76ers following a lengthy injury absence. The 22-year-old ended up sitting out 18 games for the Sixers due to a left foot fracture. At this point, however, it is clear that Maxey is still dealing with a considerable amount of rust after being out for so long.

Joel Embiid wasn't very cordial with his assessment of his young teammate, though. The Sixers superstar big man did not hold back in his brutal evaluation of Maxey's recent performances, and he wasn't at all shy about sharing his honest thoughts either:

He’s been trash, but he’s getting better,” Embiid said bluntly, via Justin Grasso of the SunHerald. “Today was better than the New Orleans game. He was really bad in the New Orleans game. He was really bad the first game. He’s getting better over time.”

That's harsh. Then again, even Maxey himself couldn't deny the fact that he simply isn't looking like his old self just yet in the two games he's played in since returning from injury. When Embiid asked him if he thought his assessment was fair, Maxey could not help but agree.

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Be that as it may, Embiid remains confident that Maxey is going to return to top form sooner rather than later. Embiid is well aware of how much talent this young man has, and he has no doubt that it's only going to be a matter of time before he starts making noise again:

“It’s going to take him a while, but I’m glad that he’s back,” Embiid said.

Tyrese Maxey is in the midst of his best season right now. The Sixers guard is averaging 21.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. He's also knocking down 2.6 triples per game on a highly-efficient 40.9 percent clip.