The 2024-25 NBA season concluded today with most round-one matchups figured out and all play-in contests set. The Philadelphia 76ers will not be participating after a failure of a season that essentially ended for them weeks ago, maybe months. Injuries caused their downfall—injuries to Joel Embiid throughout the season and to Paul George. Philly was expecting both stars to carry a significant load this season. Health and availability eluded them, and it was an uphill battle from tip-off all the way back in October. It was a failed season, whichever way you look at it. That said, Tyrese Maxey still believes the 76ers championship window remains open. Considering the state of Embiid’s health and questions surrounding head coach Nick Nurse and president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, it’s fair to question just how wide open this window Maxey sees truly is.
Tyrese Maxey Remains Faithful in 76ers Core
Tyrese Maxey still believes the Philadelphia 76ers can compete for championship
It was announced on Sunday that both Nurse and Morey will return to their respective positions for the 2025-26 season. Still, that doesn’t put the questions to bed. Expect doubts to circle them as long as Embiid has his issues because the 76ers are not a contender without him. Nurse spent much of the season with his hands tied around his back, and not all of Philadelphia’s problems were on him. He deserves another crack at it, and so he will get it.
So, what about this championship belief that Maxey speaks of? Again, the Sixers are not contenders without a fully healthy and available Embiid. Still, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN, Maxey has faith in the 76ers’ core and believes the sky is the limit for them.
“The names on the paper … it looks nice. It does,” Maxey said. “And I think we’ve seen where our peaks can be this year. There wasn’t a lot of them. But there was some stretches where we all played and we looked really good. We found the right rotations, we knew who to get the ball to, who we need to get the ball to them, everybody got shots, everybody looked good.
“So the sky’s the limit. That’s the thing that I can say. But the work has to be put in from day one, not from in the middle of the season. … Today is our last game. Whenever everybody decides to start working out again, that’s when our season for next year starts, individually and collectively. And it has to be taken serious. And I think we will take it serious and I have the ultimate faith in the organization and the guys up top and my teammates to do that.”
A summer of healing
What the 76ers need the most this offseason is health and recovery. Both Embiid and George were shut down long before the regular season ended. Maxey also ended the year with a finger injury. Earlier in the year, stand-out rookie Jared McCain lost his season to a torn meniscus. It’s uncertain whether he will be ready to start when the new season rolls around, but he has been in recovery mode since.
A summer of healing—that’s what the Sixers need, and they’ll get a head start on it beginning tomorrow. Maxey, George, and Embiid make up a solid core and contending team if they’re healthy. There is no reason to doubt they wouldn’t be in the playoff picture today if it were not for the plague of injuries. Maxey’s faith remains strong for the next season. For his and the 76ers sake, let’s hope Embiid’s knees can build a similar strength.
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