Tyrese Maxey Says “It’s a Blessing” to Have All-Star Joel Embiid Back After Injury Ordeal

In the 2025 off-season, many were talking about shipping Joel Embiid off from the 76ers, but his resurgence has shut most of those critics up. He’s beginning to show his MVP-esque self and his teammates can only watch on in awe.

Embiid struggled with a plethora of injury issues over the last few years, particularly in this knee. There were fears surrounding his overall athleticism, with some even claiming that he was considering retirement. Embiid, however, believed in himself to return strong, as did Tyrese Maxey, who recently admitted that it was a “blessing” to have this version of Embiid back.

Against the New Orleans Pelicans earlier today, Embiid scored 40 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. He was the star performer and took Philly to 27-21, just two games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers in No. 5 in the East. Maxey, in the post-game presser, began by simply stating that Embiid “is really good at basketball.”

It was an obvious statement, but Maxey then explained, “He’s playing the right way. He’s getting people involved, roll in. I think the biggest thing right now is his trust level in his teammates.” 

Maxey, who had just 18 points on the night, noted how even late into the game, Embiid was observant, and whenever there was a mismatch, he would look for others around to keep the scoreboard ticking. It’s a sign that he’s getting back into the rhythm, shaking the rust off.

Tyrese Maxey on Joel Embiid:

“He’s really good at basketball. He played more minutes than me to tonight so that’s good” pic.twitter.com/ZuX7MJ3nTw

— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) February 1, 2026

No one knows what Embiid went through better than his teammates in Philly, and Maxey, who has blossomed into an All-Star-level player emerging from the shadows, is just happy that everything is falling into place. “It’s a blessing,” he said.

“He works hard, he done a good job of getting his body right. He played more minutes than I tonight, so that’s good,” Maxey added, after realizing that Embiid played 40 minutes against New Orleans, five more than him.

Coming into tonight’s game, since December 12th, Joel’s been averaging 29.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, and boasting a 63 TS%.

The 76ers, of course, are still some distance away from calling themselves true contenders. But the team looks to be headed in the right direction, and for that, Embiid’s revival was of vital importance.