Philly Front Office

One year ago on Christmas Day, the Sixers beat the Celtics. We all felt pretty good. Nothing really went right after that. Embiid was a shell of himself, Maxey seemed angry and off his game, and the team was a mess. Making matters worse, there was a damn good chance the Sixers were going to lose their draft pick.

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It started with the bounces of a few ping pong balls, but slowly the negativity started to abate. We didn’t know it, but our luck was changing. VJ Edgecombe became a Sixer instead of Ace Bailey, Jabari Walker and Dominick Barlow signed 2-way deals, and the metaphoric ownership of the team transferred from Joel Embiid to Tyrese Maxey. That last part has been a true gift to Sixers fans.

If there’s one lasting memory from the recent era of Sixers basketball, at least for me, it was the completely predictable no show in the second half of Game 7 against the Celtics 3 years ago. We went from blowing a late lead in Game 6, to walking off with our tails between our legs two nights later. I think we all knew the Embiid-led Sixers didn’t have it in them at that point. Maybe it’s not fair, but you’d look to the body language of Embiid and James Harden and see that they wanted to be anywhere else but on a basketball court in those moments.

Fast forward to this season. The Sixers are undeniably Maxey’s team now and it shows almost every night. Sure Joel Embiid is only out there half the time and isn’t the same player any more, but the team has been remade in Maxey’s image in a way it could have never been with Embiid. What do I mean? On the physical level the team is playing with energy and confidence. Barlow and Walker get to rebounds and try their ass off. VJ Edgecombe is given the thumbs up to shoot 3s, handle the ball, and fail. Guys seem to be having fun in a way that previously didn’t seem possible. On another level, it’s caring. The team seems to always lead in the first half, get their doors blown off in the 3rd quarter, and then fight their asses off to come back and win. Is that sustainable? Probably not. Does it give us all chest pains? I’ve had short breathes the whole season. Is it refreshing as all hell to see a Sixers team believe that it can come back? ABSOLUTELY!

Finally, it’s Maxey himself. He has leveled up…AGAIN. Could most of the above be attributed to better personnel? Yes, maybe it could. But that would ignore the MVP level of play that’s coming from our point guard and how infectious it is. Not only are his stats all exponentially better, but he’s taking and making the big shots and giving max effort all the time. He’s contagious. He has a legendary workout routine that is often attempted but never duplicated.  Imagine seeing all he is doing at the level he is doing it and not trying to do the same? That’s leading by example in a way that was never happening under Embiid. How could it? Embiid is a one-of-one type athlete. Yes, he worked to get where he is, but no one has the size and skill of Embiid. The same can’t be said for 6′ guards who came into the league not strong enough to shoot 3s. He leads like Chase Utley led the late 2000s Phillies. Nothing special on the outside, but for what he gives his teammates simply don’t want to let him down.

The 2025-26 Sixers finally got some good luck in their fringe signings, draft picks, and health. All that has led to the surprising 16-12 team record despite Embiid’s unreliable availability. They haven’t had that alpha though, that guy who leads the team in a way that can not only play well when things are good, but when they get bad too. That’s Maxey, the brightest star on a team that has been missing someone just like him for far too long.

[Note: I love Embiid. His personality is everything I want in a professional athlete. I want him to be healthy and happy not just selfishly, but for him too. I know this sounded like an attack on him, but it wasn’t intended.]