The Philadelphia 76ers finally were eliminated at the hands of the New York Knicks but the Sixers can take a silver lining from the fact that they have a new superstar on their hands, Tyrese Maxey . As a result, Stephen A. Smith on ESPN’s First Take boldly stated that he should be the face of the franchise instead of MVP Joel Embiid .
Tyrese Maxey without a doubt was a level or two better than his teammate Joel Embiid against the Knicks in their first-round playoffs tie. As a result, Stephen A. Smith had a few words to say.
When you look at Joel Embiid, here’s what I would say to ya’ll. You keep him, the franchise just can’t evolve around him anymore. It has to revolve around Maxey. Maxey is the face of this franchise. Maxey deserves max dollars. Maxey has to be treated like that star to make sure that the components that are put around the team evolve around him. Stephen A. Smith said
Furthermore, Maxey is set to become a restricted free-agency player this summer, which will allow the Sixers to match contract offers from rival franchises. With what Maxey displayed during the playoffs, it’s an opportunity the 76ers would gladly take.
He averaged 29.8 points, 6.8 assists, and 5.2 rebounds per game on 47.8 percent shooting from the field and 40.0 percent from beyond the arc. If he stays consistent, there’s no limit he can achieve.
Joel Embiid praises teammate Tyrese Maxey
Joel Embiid after the loss to the New York Knicks had nothing but praise for his teammate Tyrese Maxey who he sees as hope for the future as as a future face of the franchise and NBA. He went further to boldly assert that Maxey has the potential to be among the MVP contenders come next season.
You've got a young superstar coming in and face of the franchise for his whole career in Philly. He has a chance to do something special next year again. I hope he becomes All-NBA this year. I think he can be in stuff like MVP conversations. Joel Embiid said in the post-game press conference
Maxey who is in his fourth season as a pro-basketball player has had an impressive average of 25.9 points, and 6.2 assists this season. Both stats have seen major upgrades from last season which only shows how an important player he is becoming.
Furthermore, Embiid can now look up to someone who can help take the load off him and who wouldn’t force an exit from the team. With Maxey, he has found a worthy sidekick who he can help with his growth.
More must-reads: