How 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey became the perfect co-star to Joel Embiid،
JOEL EMBIID MET his hands on his head in disbelief as the shot fell through the net.
On Sunday night at the Wells Fargo Center, Tyrese Maxey buried his seventh and final 3-pointer, a put-back 32-footer with just over a minute left that put the finishing touches on his team’s first 50-point game. rapidly rising career. – and threw the dagger in the Philadelphia 76ers’ eighth straight victory.
But Maxey’s night — he and Embiid combined for 87 points in a 137-126 home win over the Indiana Pacers — was also a watershed moment for the league’s Most Valuable Player and a franchise that was feverishly seeking the perfect sidekick to Embiid.
Embiid’s partnership with Ben Simmons showed promise before falling apart, leading to the trade demand for Simmons. His partnership with former No. 1 pick Markelle Fultz never came to fruition, as Fultz’s shoulder and shooting issues derailed his time in Philadelphia, before he was unceremoniously traded to the Orlando Magic. Then there was Embiid’s 18-month partnership with James Harden, who asked to leave town after leading the league in assists and helping Embiid win the MVP award.
Through a combination of injuries, poor play or simple bad luck, none have provided Embiid with the type of long-term partner the 76ers envisioned. As a result, questions arose about whether the big man’s long-term future would lie in Philadelphia, a boiling point that had come to a head as Harden’s summer of discontent turned to fall.
But in the two weeks since Harden was traded to the LA Clippers, Maxey has emerged and suddenly the 76ers may have found the perfect match for Embiid.
“I think [Maxey] has an even better future,” Embiid said from his locker, leaving the postgame podium to Maxey after his career night. “Philadelphia has a good one. He’s going to stay here for a long time…
“And, like I said, he’s the franchise,” Embiid said with a smile, referring to his post-match tweet celebrating her co-star of 23 years.
The 76ers are and will remain Embiid’s team. But throughout his career, he lamented never having had a consistent co-star, especially someone capable of having the kind of offensive explosion that Maxey had.
No wonder he looked so happy to celebrate Maxey’s accomplishment.
“I think Joel wanted me to get 50 more than [I] “I did it,” Maxey said after Sunday’s game. “He was going to catch the ball and he said to me, ‘You’re going to shoot this basketball.’
“I appreciate my teammates. I appreciate the fans, I appreciate the coaching staff. It was a great night. We got the win…that’s what matters most.”
THE LAST TIME Maxey and Philadelphia were in this type of situation – in August 2021, when Simmons requested a trade – Maxey was informed by then-coach Doc Rivers that he was the team’s starting point guard .
There were flashes of Maxey’s potential even before he was handed lead guard duties. He scored 39 points as a rookie against the Denver Nuggets in January 2021, when Philadelphia’s roster was depleted by COVID-19 absences that included Embiid and Simmons.
In his second season, Maxey scored 31 and 33 points in back-to-back games against the Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors at the start of the 2021-22 season.
“It’s a lot more fun on This ” said 76ers coach Nick Nurse, referring to his time leading the Raptors.
These days, handing the keys to the offense to someone else couldn’t be further from anyone’s mind in Philadelphia. For good reason. Maxey initiated one of the best starts in the NBA this season: 28.4 points, 7.0 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game – all career highs – while shooting 49.3% from the field , 42.9% at 3 points and 94% from the field. the foul line. In 10 games, he fundamentally changed the style of the Sixers. After ranking in the bottom five in the league in pace each of the last two seasons, the 76ers sit in 10th place. Their offense ranks fourth. And while Maxey’s scoring stole the show Sunday, what was more important was his rapid improvement as a playmaker, one of the non-Harden team’s biggest question marks heading into the training camp. Maxey replied. His 5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio is by far a career best, as he doubled his 3.5 assists per game last season while essentially keeping his turnover rate in the same range.
Wednesday November 15
Celtics at 76ers, 7:30 p.m.
Kings at Lakers, 10 p.m.
Friday November 17
Kings at Spurs, 7:30 p.m.
Suns at Jazz, 10 p.m.
All times Eastern
“He’s having a really good ground game right now,” Nurse said before last week’s win over the Boston Celtics. “He goes towards what is open.
“And I think that was everyone’s question: Can he create for someone else?”
By successfully answering that question in the affirmative, the 76ers can approach this year’s trade deadline — as well as the offseason — knowing they have not one, but two stars to build on.
MAXEY’S IMPACT ON the 76ers also feel a long way from his All-Star level play.
Take his postgame interview on the field Sunday night. Immediately after the biggest match of his career, Maxey dedicated the victory to injured teammate Kelly Oubre Jr.
With a bain-marie of Patrick Beverley between questions, Maxey spoke about Oubre’s health after the forward suffered a fractured rib after being struck by a motor vehicle near his home in downtown Philadelphia Saturday night.
“Dude, it has nothing to do with me,” Maxey said. It’s all about Kelly Oubre, man. We’re praying for him.”
And while Embiid praised Maxey’s play on Sunday, he also emphasized how much his infectious energy and enthusiasm has permeated the franchise.
“He’s something else,” Embiid said of Maxey. “It starts with people like that. When there are people in the building who are always smiling. It’s rare. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him angry.
“But it’s always the same energy. Good matches and bad matches, always the same. When you have people like that… It sets the tone for everyone.”
Drama and chaos have surrounded the 76ers for years. “The Process” saw the franchise endure losing seasons before signing Embiid and Simmons, and both began their careers missing a combined three seasons due to injury. Fultz never launched his career in Philadelphia due to thoracic outlet syndrome in his right shoulder after the 76ers made him the No. 1 pick in the 2017 draft.
There was the public resignation of Bryan Colangelo, then the 76ers’ president of basketball operations, who was embroiled in a Twitter account scandal in 2018. There was Kawhi Leonard’s series-winning jumper in Toronto during the 2019 playoffs who still seems to be bouncing around the field. inside Scotiabank Arena — one of five times in six years Philly reached but failed to advance past the second round of the playoffs. Then came long trade sagas surrounding Simmons and Harden.
Through it all, the 76ers might finally escape with the makings of the superstar pairing The Process was designed to create. And as Maxey continues to hit step-back 3s and establish himself in the hearts of even the most hardened Philadelphia fans, it appears the 76ers have found Embiid a suitable co-star.
“It’s literally like big brother-little brother,” Maxey said of Embiid.
“He’s the MVP… for him to have confidence in us as a team, for him to have confidence in myself, I appreciate that. I go out there and try to do my best for him.”
