An offseason of unpredictability and torment has quickly turned into major question marks for the Philadelphia 76ers at the start of the 2023-24 season. Reigning league MVP Joel Embiid remains the face of the franchise, yet James Harden's status with the organization remains the dominant storyline across the NBA. In wake of all the drama surrounding Harden and his stance on wanting a trade from the Sixers, Tyrese Maxey quietly lurks as one of the league's potential breakout stars.
New head coach Nick Nurse is already facing adversity in Philadelphia and the team has yet to even play their first game of the season. Formulating a game plan without Harden next to Embiid is challenging, especially since this roster was constructed around the two All-Stars.
The good news for the Sixers is that they have Maxey, a young guard that is ready for the challenge ahead.
When the 76ers originally drafted Maxey 21st overall in 2020, they envisioned him being someone who could play with or without the ball in his hands, making a great impact in transition given his athleticism. Set to turn 23 years old next week and entering his fourth year in the NBA, Maxey has proven to be so much more than this.
The jump he made from his rookie season to Year 2 was vast. Playing his third year just this past season, the Sixers guard took on more responsibility as a primary scoring weapon alongside Embiid. In fact, Maxey finished the 2022-23 season averaging a career-high 20.3 points per game while shooting 43.4 percent from three-point range. Out of all players in the league who shot at least 300 threes last season, Maxey ranked second in three-point shooting percentage.
As far as how he is approaching the 2023-24 season, Tyrese Maxey understands what he is capable of doing and is ready to help his team win games no matter what.
“As a human being, you try not to worry about what other people think of you, but it's always in the back of your mind,” Maxey told reporters at Sixers media day earlier this month. “For me, I go out there and leave no doubt. If it's something that they think I can't do — like my defense or my playmaking skills, if it's me being able to shoot the ball — I come in every year and try to leave that doubt out. It's just a motto of mine that keeps me going, keeps me pushing, keeps me able to get up every single early morning and just working.
“Trying to get 1% better every day, so I make sure there is no doubt at the end of the day.”
The 76ers are preparing for their first game of the season against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night and they will be without Harden. There is no telling as to when Harden will be ready to play with Philadelphia, that is if he even plays with them this year.
This is why Maxey is the key to success for the Sixers and why he is prepared to becoming Embiid's right-hand man in the 76ers' pursuit of a championship.
Maxey's role with Sixers
Without James Harden, Tyrese Maxey has a chance to go from being the third option on the Sixers' roster to becoming a first-time All-Star. In 13 games with the 10-time All-Star out of Philly's lineup last season, Maxey proved that he could handle being in a star role, averaging 24.8 points and 5.4 assists per game while shooting 46.9 percent from the floor.
Joel Embiid trusts him and his teammates trust him, which is why Maxey is poised to take on a much larger role for the 76ers this season.
“[Maxey]'s really good with the ball in pick-and-roll and iso. He's always got a smile on his face,” veteran guard Patrick Beverley said of Maxey during media day. “When life gets hard, it doesn't really beat him up. Great character person and a person like that who is always smiling, always enjoying life, you appreciate people like that. Not just on the basketball court, off also.”
The bottom line is that Maxey wants to win and that's exhibited through his play. Always willing to sacrifice his own opportunities to better the team and always looking confident with the ball in his hands late in the shot-clock, Maxey has already become a star.
We just haven't noticed it yet.
Harden recently returned to Philadelphia after close to a two-week hiatus and he was asked to not travel with the team with their two-game road trip to begin the season. Based on reports, the Sixers are wanting Harden to work on getting in shape and ramp up his basketball activities before being with the team for an actual game. While this is believable, it's also somewhat believable that the 76ers want to fully evaluate Maxey without Harden as a distraction.
Philly has two road games to begin the year before having to play eight of their next nine on their home floor. This is an opportunity for Tyrese Maxey to prove that he does not need Harden in order to lead the Sixers' backcourt and how he performs will impact his worth to the franchise, especially after not signing an extension this offseason.
Extension talks add motivation for Maxey
Every player in the NBA wants long-term security. We always see guys opt out of contracts in hopes of landing a new extension and even Harden was expecting a new, long-term deal with the 76ers this past summer.
Tyrese Maxey, who is in the final year of his rookie contract, was eligible for an extension this offseason. However, the Sixers opted to let him play out his current deal before revisiting conversations next summer. This means that Maxey will become a restricted free agency in 2024.
Not receiving a new contract from the team is obviously a stressful situation for Maxey, but at the same time, he's going to use this as extra motivation. The team clearly still has some doubts about his overall potential, which is why the 2023-24 season has a chance to be his best yet.
Maxey is going to be playing with a chip on his shoulder, yet his demeanor on the court is not going to change. Striving to get better each and every day is Maxey's only goal, which is why he is not focusing on the failed contract negotiations that took place during the offseason.
“It can be tough. It can be, you know, when you have expectations. But you’re not obligated to anything. I understand it’s the business aspect of it,” Maxey told Yahoo Sports before the season. “I just look at it as I’m gonna go out there and still play. I’m still on the 76ers. I love it here and I want to help us win. And at the end of the day, that’s my contract and that’s what I’ll fulfill. I love Philly. And we’ll see what happens.”
It's clear that Maxey wants to remain with the Sixers, unlike Harden, and he truly wants to help build this team into the title contenders they know they can be. With the opportunity to take over this team's backcourt, Maxey is the key to the 76ers unlocking their full championship potential.
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