Everything that could go wrong went wrong for the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2024-25 NBA season. After signing Paul George, the team had championship aspirations. Instead, they finished with the fifth-worst record in the league.
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Entering the 2024-25 campaign, Philadelphia had the fourth-best odds to win the NBA championship. Their over/under line for wins was at 50.5, which they didn’t come close to, finishing with a 24-58 record.
For Tyrese Maxey, it was the first time in his career that he missed the postseason. He had trouble dealing with the disappointment and depended heavily on his family to pull himself out of it.
The biggest culprit was the injury bug, which ate away at their star players. Maxey played the fewest games of his young career, appearing in only 52 outings. The face of the franchise, Joel Embiid, only played in 19 games, while newly added Paul George played in 41 games.
Despite having a dominant big three on paper, they didn’t get the opportunity to showcase their talent as a group. This kind of slide isn’t easy on anyone. Maxey had never known what losing to this degree felt like before.
“Not even just from an NBA perspective, but my entire life. High school, middle school, AAU, I’ve never been on a team that’s lost,” Maxey revealed on The Deep 3.
“Early on, it kind of affected me a lot like mental wise. I had to really lean on my parents, my friends, the people in my immediate circle, because I’m a winner,” he added.
The passionate fans didn’t make the process any easier for Philadelphia. Fans’ love and passion could be a two-edged sword. When the team wins, things are great, but when they lose, they don’t hesitate to express their feelings.
The mix of scrutiny and failure to live up to expectations took an obvious toll on Maxey. Luckily, around December, his perspective changed.
“I kind of got a different perspective. You could see it in my game,” Maxey said. “I was like, ‘This is what I have to do. This is what we have to work with.’ My whole objective right now is getting guys to raise their level of play.”
Maxey was certainly successful in raising himself and those around him. Players such as Justin Edwards and Adem Bona began to make strides, which they can build upon for the upcoming 2025-26 season.
“I was happy about that. You saw us win a couple of games, and then I got hurt. After that, it was kind of difficult,” Maxey added.
Despite the immense difficulties the Sixers faced, Maxey’s optimism is extremely high for what awaits the team in a few months. “I do think that it’ll be a great bounce-back year for us. I think it’s not just going to be given to us,” he proclaimed.
It definitely will require every player to step up. It helps that the team’s down year resulted in drafting the third overall pick, VJ Edgecombe. The dynamic guard will certainly fit like a glove alongside the Sixers’ star trio.
In a wide-open Eastern Conference, the Sixers may have their best shot to really make some noise this upcoming season.
