'That's Scary': Tyrese Maxey Sees Growth in MVP Joel Embiid

Throughout the 2023 offseason, Tyrese Maxey spent time working closely with his Philadelphia 76ers teammate Joel Embiid.

As the young guard anticipated a growing role in his fourth season, working alongside the reigning MVP made a ton of sense, as the success of the team relies heavily on their progress as a duo.

Heading into the 2023-2024 NBA season, everybody knew what Embiid brought to the table — especially on the offensive end of the floor. Being a two-time scoring champion and the league’s most recent MVP winner, nobody felt necessarily surprised by Embiid’s hot start to the season.

In Maxey’s eyes, Embiid was putting all of the offseason work to the test and finding success just as he’s done in the past.

However, it appears Embiid currently looks better than ever, which is a situation that is sure to put the rest of the league on notice as the Sixers navigate through a critical season.

“He’s very good at basketball,” Maxey stated on Friday, which has become his common assessment regarding the six-time All-Star throughout the year.

But lately, Embiid’s been playing on a level that’s higher than his usual standards, which warranted a more elaborate response from Maxey, who tends to let the on-court work do the talking.

“He is getting better, which is scary,” Maxey added. “He did a layup, a layup that I usually do, a Eurostep high glass, like touch layup. I looked next to Pat Bev and said, ‘He’s 7-foot-2 and just ran full speed and did the same layup I just did.’ That’s scary.”

Despite the constant begging from outsiders to keep Embiid posted up in the paint on the offensive end, Embiid consistently rejected the idea that he should play his position in a traditional role. Priding himself on being one of the most versatile stars in the game, Embiid has worked on every aspect to improve year in and year out.

With another MVP campaign in the works, Embiid is once again proving to be one of the NBA’s most dangerous offensive weapons. As Maxey pointed out, though, he has been getting better as another career year is in the works for the seven-footer.