Joel Embiid knows he can’t win on his own or play at an MVP level forever. This season, he’s looking to empower Tyrese Maxey more than ever.
Tyrese Maxey wore the No. 3 at Kentucky. Maxey chose No. 3 because his favorite player was Dwyane Wade, the former Miami Heat star and Hall of Famer. He wears No. 0 because a pretty good player wore No. 3 for the Sixers once upon a time.
Maxey’s age-23 season compares favorably to his idol’s. Both players made their first All-Star appearance. Both averaged over 24 points and six assists a game. Both also played with a breathtakingly dominant MVP big man.
It was during that season that Wade truly became the man in Miami. It was his team and he was the Heat’s go-to option.
To hear Joel Embiid tell it, he’s readying himself to one day step back and simply play his role, just as Shaquille O’Neal did.
“I’m going to go out there and just let him be the guy,” Embiid said of Maxey, “because I know at some point, when it comes down to it, he’s going to come in handy.”
Embiid has enough personal accolades. Seven-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA, three-time All-Defensive Team, two-time scoring champ, one MVP. The missing piece is the Larry O’Brien trophy. Hell, a trip to the conference finals would be nice.
As Embiid spoke at media day Monday, there was a calm to the big man. Like he was at peace for the first time heading into his ninth season. Sixers fans can thank Maxey for Embiid’s zen-like state.
Really, Sixers fans can thank Maxey for everything. Who knows where the franchise would be if he didn’t fall into their laps at 21st overall in 2020 or if he hadn’t been agreeable to putting off his max extension for a year. Now the team is poised to have arguably the best Big 3 in the NBA for the foreseeable future.
The Celtics are the defending champs and the Knicks, the team that eliminated the Sixers in the postseason, are all-in. The East as a whole is going to be better this year.
But that’s not Maxey’s concern.
“We can’t worry about the outside competition until we know what the 76ers look like,” Maxey said. “But once we figure that out, we have a guy in Joel Embiid who is a generational talent. And whenever you have him on your team, you’re shooting for the stars. … When you have a roster of this stature, you are trying to win. … As soon as we get ourselves right, then we can start worrying about the other competition.”
A lot of getting the Sixers “right” will fall on Maxey.
Now the unquestioned point guard, second-longest tenured player, and a franchise cornerstone, Maxey has more on his shoulders than ever before. They’re going to need his shooting, his scoring and his creation ability all to tick up for the team to reach its ultimate goal.
We’ve already seen Maxey produce some legendary playoff moments. His season-saving Game 5 performance at Madison Square Garden last year was one of the best postseason games a Sixer has ever had. The issue against the Knicks is that he did get lost in the shuffle at times as Tom Thibodeau and company game-planned ways to slow the speedy Maxey down. Carrying the team during Embiid’s absence to close the regular season also took a physical toll.
You’ll be unsurprised to find that Maxey spent the summer attempting to remedy that.
“You guys are going to see … again, he’s stronger,” Nick Nurse said at media day. “He’s really had an amazing summer — laser-focused on his body and his skills. I just don’t want to put any thoughts of any ceilings on this guy. I think he’s so good — his speed, his deep shooting. He’s getting more experience. I think he’s getting better defensively. He took a step forward that way. We’re expecting more of that. I’m expecting him to take another big step this year.”
And the Sixers need it. Embiid needs it.
“I feel like my job this year is to empower those guys, especially Tyrese,” Embiid said. “I think there’s another step he can take and he’s going to take it.”
Man, how lucky did the Sixers get with Maxey?
If you redrafted the 2020 NBA Draft, where would he go? No worse than No. 3? On top of the enormous skill, Maxey is an ideal player off the court. He’s humble, he works his butt off, he’s coachable, he’s a great teammate, he gives back to the community — and he wants nothing more than to win.
“Every single time I walk into the facility,” he said, “I get excited all over again. Like, ‘Man, this was my dream. I dreamed of this. I really worked extremely hard to get here, and now I can just work and get better every single day and maximize my potential.’ So one, I’m blessed to be here that long.
“And two, yeah, [Embiid and I] are [the longest-tenured Sixers] but it’s a good thing, though. These are two guys who really want to win and really work extremely hard to be successful — and not just individually, but for team success, for this franchise.”
Maxey couldn’t have No. 3 because it’s hanging in the rafters thanks to Dwyane Wade’s favorite player, Allen Iverson. One day, Embiid’s No. 21 will be up there.
The hope for the Sixers and Embiid is that No. 0 finds its way there as well.