Tyrese Maxey is Not a Philadelphia 76er
Okay, he is. But he's kinda not. That's a good thing for the 76ers. Hear me out.
I’ve spent a lot of my adult life in Philadelphia and I don’t think that will change any time soon. This is a glorious city, one that understands itself fully, and only grows stronger every time someone who’s never actually been here says “Philly…?” in a tone that informs you they also say things like “rising crime” or “diversity hire” or “war on Christmas.”
Look how pretty:
Philadelphia is home to fascinating individuals and the least normal basketball franchise on Earth.
Here’s the thing: I don’t think I can even call myself a Sixers fan. I like the team and I’ve been cheering them on since they became my de-facto local team when I migrated here, but the Sixers don’t occupy as much space in my heart as they do on my TV.
So, believe me when I tell you this team is fucking bizarre.
Note: for the sake of transparency, I must report that days after I originally wrote this, Spotify Wrapped released and my top two podcasts from 2023 are both Sixers-based. So fuck it, guess I am a fan…
I know, I know. Every fanbase thinks their team is the wildest, the craziest, the hardest to root for because, well, their only experience in fandom is rooting for that specific team. A sports fan saying “You wouldn’t get it” when talking about the missteps or misfortunes of their favorite team often rings hollow to me because all franchises have a bad owner (yes, every single one) and they also all have That One Fan Favorite Role Player Who’s So Talented But Just Can’t Figure It Out.
Note: If you think your team really is the craziest and whackiest of them all… don’t let me dissuade you from thinking that. Your experiences are valid. Your lived truths are your truths.
When a Sixers fan says it, though… they’re telling the truth.
From the outside, the Philadelphia 76ers appear to be a relatively normal, moderately successful basketball team. But if you think that’s an apt description of this franchise… I don’t think you get it.
It’s hard to believe that a number one overall draft pick would ever forget how to play basketball.
It’s hard to believe that after failing on the biggest stage of his career, a different number one overall pick would basically refuse to play basketball for a few years. It’s harder to believe that, eventually, a team would trade for that player while he was refusing to play, and then years later, the new player—the player the original team got in return for that number-one pick— would ALSO decide to stop playing because the General Manager of the original team (who the new player has a decade-long close personal relationship with) is, in the words of the new player, “A liar.”
Everybody following me?
It’s hard to believe that a team’s General Manager (different one) would change the NBA because he was so good at losing.
Finally, it’s hard to believe that a team’s nepo baby General Manager (DIFFERENT ONE AGAIN) and his wife would have secret Twitter accounts on which they bash the team that he runs.
It’s hard to believe that any of those situations would happen—ever.
That all happened to one team.
Okay, I apologize to Sixers fans for regaling all of that. To cheer you up, I will report that:
Tyrese Maxey is really damn good.
I don’t think that sentence will cause any rocks to fly through my window or any pitchforks to be wielded at my door because most of the NBA community agrees that Tyrese Maxey is really damn good. He’s always been good, right, but… he hasn’t been good like this.
Maxey has raised his scoring average every season he’s played, from 8.0 to 17.5 to 20.3 to 26.6. He’s been a reliable player on playoff teams as a 20 year-old, then a 21 year-old. He shot over 40% from deep in 2021-22 and 2022-23, and his three-point volume increased significantly in each of his first three seasons.
Maxey has taken strides as an NBA player every season he’s played, and you’re a heretic and a heathen if you thought he was done improving after year three. With that being said…after what we saw from Maxey in years 1-3, I wouldn’t call you any names if you said that you felt confident mapping out his career arc.
Personally, I thought it would progress like this: Tyrese Maxey would be a high-level scorer and a great three-point shooter for a long, long time. He’d be a faster CJ McCollum. He’d garner respect around the league and he’d make a lot of money, but he’d remain a score-first small guard in a league starting to appreciate that archetype less as time goes on. Maybe he’d sneak into an All-Star game here and there.
WRONG!
So, so wrong. Holy shit, how could I be so wrong?
Tyrese Maxey is an elite point guard. He’s averaging 6.9 assists per game (which is down slightly after a bit of a slump, but still nearly double his career average before this season). He’s creating great looks for Joel Embiid (who also became a great passer, somehow?) He’s seamlessly replaced James Harden as Philadelphia’s primary ball handler by taking a gargantuan leap as a creator for himself and for his teammates. If that leap isn’t a fluke, then Maxey has raised both the ceiling of this 76ers team and the ceiling of every team he plays on in the future.
But something doesn’t add up, because… I didn’t realize 76ers point guards were allowed to get better.
I’m going to name some basketball players, then I’m going to ask you a question.
James Harden. Ben Simmons. Michael Carter-Williams. TJ McConnell. Tony Wroten.
Now, my question: when was the last time a point guard improved significantly while a member of the Philadelphia 76ers?*
It certainly wasn’t any of those guys, who, cumulatively, have been Philly’s primary ballhandlers for the past decade or so. (Shoutout to Tony Wroten, though. Dawg.) In fact, more of those guys became actively worse during their Philly tenure. I think being so close to the Schuylkill River atrophies the skills and decision making of point guards. Something in the water.
This is why Tyrese Maxey is not a Philadelphia 76er.
Okay, alright. Yes, Tyrese Maxey plays for the 76ers but… he’s improving. And that directly contrasts everything I’ve learned about Sixers point guards of the past decade. Michael Carter-Williams won Rookie of The Year and then got immediately got worse at everything. Ben Simmons won Rookie of The Year, stayed good for a while… then got worse at everything. James Harden won an MVP, came to Philadelphia, was pretty damn good, and then, when it counted… got worse at everything.
Tyrese Maxey is getting better at everything. I forgot that’s even an option.
Instead of forgetting how to play basketball or fully refusing to play basketball in general, Maxey appears to be having a splendid time playing the sport.
Instead of harboring disdain for the people of Philadelphia, Maxey, by all accounts, embraces this community full of sickos (complimentary.)
Tyrese Maxey has no baggage. I am fully confident that Tyrese Maxey is not going to cause any headaches for this franchise or fanbase… other than headaches caused by large beer consumption after the Sixers finally make an Eastern Conference Finals. Which they will do with Tyrese Maxey as the starting point guard. Book it.
*The answer is probably Jrue Holiday, by the way, which is patently absurd. He was a Sixer during the first Obama administration.
76ers fans are sick in the head and it’s not their fault. They’ve been in a toxic relationship for a decade now, and their partner is the greatest manipulator I’ve ever seen. Now Tyrese Maxey is here with flowers and great communication skills.
My friend Rich described it as “surreal.”
It’s just surreal to have a kid who loves the city and works his ass off. It makes being a fan fun again.
Tyrese Maxey has brought joy back to Sixers fans. He’s made them love basketball again. That’s the least “Sixers point guard” -like trait I can imagine.
Tyrese Maxey is not a Philadelphia 76er, and that’s why he’s exactly what the 76ers need.