May 21, 2026
Now that the 2025-26 Sixers season is complete after a thrilling first-round series comeback and a jarring second-round sweep, it is time to reflect on the year that was.
Welcome to Sixers year-in-review, where each player's campaign will be analyzed with a combination of statistics, film and reporting.
Up next: Tyrese Maxey, whose sixth NBA season was his best yet. Maxey leveled up in multiple respects and is expected to earn his first All-NBA honor as a result. Maxey led the NBA in minutes per game (38.0), also averaging 28.3 points, 6.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 0.8 blocks.
Maxey scored the two biggest baskets of his team's season to seal a first-round Game 7 victory in Boston. He continued to cement his status as a franchise cornerstone. He has a long-term partner in the backcourt. But he went out with the toughest playoff series of his career, limited by injury and the New York Knicks in a second-round sweep. What is next for Maxey?
SIXERS YEAR-IN-REVIEW
Maxey has his long-term backcourt partner firmly in place.
The partnership Maxey shared with VJ Edgecombe, on and off the court, was the stabilizing factor that allowed the 20-year-old rookie to be his best self right off the bat. Because Maxey was so terrific all season and only had one prolonged absence late in the season, the Sixers were able to empower Edgecombe as an offensive player without ever putting too much on his plate. Maxey's presence was like a pair of training wheels for Edgecombe, who took full advantage and made massive gains in his game from October to May.
And while the on-court fit of Maxey and Edgecombe is as clean as it gets – Maxey can take on the lead ball-handling duties but slide into an off-ball role when Edgecombe is in a groove; Edgecombe can handle the primary defensive assignment at either guard spot and Maxey can be optimized as an off-ball playmaker; both players can pass, shoot and dribble and neither is a weak link defensively – the bond that the Sixers' two guards have cultivated off the court is just as meaningful.
Time and time again throughout the season, Edgecombe credited Maxey's assistance – literal and figurative – as he continued to blossom. And for Maxey, the only meaningful constant of Sixers basketball over the last three years, it had to feel quite refreshing and invigorating to learn in real time that the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft was even better than advertised.
As the Sixers embark on a search for a new lead executive in basketball operations and that person eventually begins thinking about how this roster should look moving into the final years of the 2020s and beyond, it should all be centered around Maxey – a brilliant three-level scorer with a blend of shot-making and speed unmatched in the NBA – and his mentee Edgecombe. It makes all of the sense in the world, on and off the court.
MORE: How Daryl Morey's Sixers tenure reached its end
Sixers with Tyrese Maxey on the floor, Joel Embiid off the floor: -1.2 Net Rating.
With all of that being said, the Sixers still do not have a tremendous handle on winning without Joel Embiid, who remains equal parts tantalizing and frustrating.
Early in the season, the Sixers relied on a fast-paced approach built around Maxey and Edgecombe. The results, even with Embiid and Paul George in street clothes, were outstanding. But for now, the Sixers are at their best with those two players on the floor – particularly Embiid, who remains a dominant offensive player, a true force multiplier. The Sixers seemed to finally have an identity sans Embiid, and they were winning games because of it.
Eventually, Embiid rounded into form. The Sixers naturally found their flow with the slower-paced style he has always thrived in. But when his injury issues inevitably resurfaced, the Sixers struggled mightily to toggle back to the points of emphasis that powered them without him early in the season. During an Embiid-less cold spell in February after the former NBA MVP had been consistently available in January, Maxey acknowledged that it is very difficult to adjust on the fly to his absence.
"It definitely is," Maxey said. "It definitely is.... It's weird, I've had a successful year, but I've played three different roles. And that's difficult. But it comes with it sometimes. And that's not an excuse that you can use. You've got to go out with what we have out there and try to win games."
The Sixers not winning the Maxey-on, Embiid-off minutes in the aggregate is not all on Maxey; the Sixers' flawed roster and significant number of injuries played a role, too. Some of the damage came when the Sixers were significantly undermanned even beyond Embiid's absence. Maxey made strides in this area over the course of his sixth season, too.
THE BEST GAME OF TYRESE MAXEY'S NBA CAREER
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) November 21, 2025
54 points (18-30 FG, 6-15 3P, 12-14 FT), 9 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 blocks on the second night of a home-road back-to-back.
All of Maxey's baskets, assists and defensive highlights in the Sixers' win @ Milwaukee on Thursday: pic.twitter.com/U08wEbtRrl
Because of Maxey and Edgecombe – and even Paul George – there is a pathway to the Sixers finally figuring out the non-Embiid minutes, at least to a larger extent than they ever have before. Maxey will need to spearhead that effort.
Edgecombe on what Maxey's presence meant to him during his rookie season, May 10:
"For me, from day one – before I even knew I was getting drafted here – he was the one there, that welcomed me with open arms. I've been just learning from him since then, just trying to keep building that relationship, keep building that chemistry. I'm really proud of how he handled the season with a lot of ups and downs. [Stayed] battling. Coming down to the end of the season, hurting his finger, him still pushing through, it was surreal to see. He's going to be a superstar for years to come. And I'm really proud to just be a part of the journey. He's just been so great for me, for this team. We ain't going anywhere without him, you know?"
MORE: Five years later, 'Seven Sixers' recall when Maxey's ascent began
Can Maxey drive winning without Embiid?
Maxey is, unquestionably, a brilliant player. And at this point he is a known commodity as far as his most impressive capabilities on the floor and the areas where he is somewhat limited. Reasonable people can disagree about whether Maxey is merely a star-level player or someone on the verge of true superstardom. He played like a superstar in the first round of the playoffs, and did not look like one at all in the second round.
Now, after years and years of impressive growth, the next step for Maxey is proving he can sustain something close to his peak levels of production regardless of if Embiid is playing alongside him – and drive winning enough that the Sixers do not have to worry about ever losing minutes he spends on the floor.
It would be foolish to expect Maxey to be exactly as dynamic and efficient playing without Embiid, whose ability to create open shots for others by simply being on the court remains. Maxey and Embiid each get tons of great looks out of their lethal two-man actions.
It is time for Maxey to spread his wings a bit more than he has before and consistently lead the Sixers in winning efforts when Embiid is out.
Many folks like to talk about the idea of Embiid being used as a part-time player moving forward, protecting his health and helping ease the team into a life without him. The reality is that idea will never be nearly as practical as it sounds without the remainder of the roster proving capable of consistently getting the job without him.
MORE: Trading Maxey to start over would be a crazy idea... right?
