Tyrese Maxey isn’t just talking like a star. He’s talking like someone who knows the 76ers are supposed to carry real weight this season.
Philadelphia’s summer overhaul brought in LeBron James and Jaylen Brown, and with that came the kind of expectations that can swallow a team whole. Maxey, though, sounded upbeat after a training camp session, and he had plenty to say about where things stand with the roster, starting with Joel Embiid.
“He looks great. He looks amazing.
He looks happy. I think that’s great.
When you’re healthy and you’re happy and you’re at peace with your life and basketball, that’s when you’re at your best. So, he’s been great.
He’s your one.”
That kind of update matters for Philadelphia more than almost anything else. Embiid still has the talent to sit near the top of the league on any night, but his injury history has made his availability the real storyline. Maxey’s read on him suggests the big man is in a good place right now, and that’s a huge development for a team with title hopes.
Maxey also had strong praise for Brown, and this time it wasn’t just about the résumé. It was about seeing him every day.
“I don’t know, man. I think you just see it up close now.
Like you said, I’ve seen it a million times. I’ve played against Jaylen so many times.
But when you’re with somebody every single day, it’s different… JB’s like, physically, like a freak of nature. He’s just strong.
He’s stronger than you, jumps higher than you, he’s faster than you, and he’s very talented. So, it’s just like those are the things that you see every single day.”
Maxey added that Brown has already stood out for the way he talks and the way he attacks the defensive end.
“What stood out to me so far is his communication and his willingness to pick up the ball defensively and kind of do whatever the coach needs him to do right now,” Maxey continued. “He’s just figuring it out.”
He even finished with a joke that Brown isn’t faster than him, but the bigger message was clear: Maxey respects what Brown brings, especially on a team that will need more than just scoring to function at a high level.
That ties into Maxey’s own growth as a leader. He said this will be his seventh year with the team, and he’s ready to lean more heavily on his voice.
“My voice carries a little bit and then just the charisma of me smiling and having a good time. I mean, I’m getting older… I just feel like I’ve been here for a minute.
Process [Embiid] has been here, I think what? 13 years?
I’ve been here seven. So, we’ve been here for a while, kind of know how things go around here, and I am just trying to keep using my voice to help everybody get familiar and help everybody get comfortable.”
Maxey’s standing in the organization is already secure. He averaged 28.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 6.6 assists last season, earned All-Star and All-NBA honors, and has become the face of Philadelphia’s future. Now he’s setting his sights on something bigger.
“I’m at the point now where I’ve shown what I can do talent-wise,” Maxey noted. “Of course, I’m going to continue to get better, but I want to be judged by winning.
If we win, that’s what I want to be judged by. That’s really my main mindset, my main goal, is finding ways to win.”
With Brown and LeBron in the mix, there had been questions about how Maxey would fit into the hierarchy, especially after he said he had no problem deferring to his new teammates. But the reality is hard to miss: Maxey is still central to everything Philadelphia wants to do.
He’ll be asked to carry a major offensive load alongside Brown and V.J. Edgecombe, while Embiid and LeBron remain essential pieces.
The 76ers have plenty of star power. Maxey, as always, looks ready to be right in the middle of it.
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Even with that overhaul, the biggest issue may be how all of those pieces fit once the games start and the rotation has to settle. Embiid and LeBron James are both in the mix for load management plans, which only adds another layer to the equation, while Maxey has been framed as someone focused on team success over individual recognition. The talent is there, but the Sixers still have some sorting out to do before the new look feels complete. [Read more 🡒]