Recently the Philadelphia 76ers have been without their franchise star Joel Embiid, as he has been sidelined with an ankle injury he suffered earlier in the month against the Toronto Raptors. On paper, it may appear that Embiid’s main contribution to the Sixers is his league-high 35 points per game, perhaps a bigger impact would be that of his leadership. As they’ve been without the 29-year-old, Sixers’ head coach Nick Nurse has had to look elsewhere on his team for a leader.
Despite the depth of veteran figures on the team, with the likes of Tobias Harris, Patrick Beverley, and Nicolas Batum amongst others, Tyrese Maxey has risen to the top of the list. This season has seen Maxey rise to new heights in both his scoring and play-making abilities, averaging career highs in both points and assists per game, so it’s no surprise that his reputation throughout the league has started to rise, with Nurse feeling that it’s about time.
“I think on this road to him being a legit star player in this league,” Nurse told reporters, “I don’t know when we’re going to stop saying we’re on the road and we’re there, probably pretty soon, right?” Over the four-game stretch that Maxey has filled in for the shoes of Embiid, he has been on a tear, averaging 24 points on 40 percent shooting, with his only lackluster performance falling on Christmas day against the Miami Heat. With Maxey having to step up for the team, Nurse feels that it’s previous few games have provided him with a perfect opportunity to develop as an on court leader.
“These are nights that are good for him to again, figure out how to explore different situations, and to keep the team moving forward, run the team, keep executing when it’s tough out there like it is tonight, keep searching for ways to get your shots up and to score, keep playing through the physicality and bumps.” Physicality was something which the 56-year-old kept pushing on after Saturday night’s loss, as Maxey kept driving in, only finding his way to the free throw line five times times, after posting a career-high 15 attempts on Friday night against the Houston Rockets.
