Paul Pierce Compares Sixers' Maxey and Embiid to Championship Duo

This season, the Philadelphia 76ers are off to a 4-1 start. With Joel Embiid on a minutes restriction, much of the team’s early success can be attributed to Tyrese Maxey. The one-time All-Star is averaging 35.2 points and 9.4 assists over five games.

On a recent episode of Ticket & The Truth, Paul Pierce compared the 76ers to the mid-2000s Miami Heat.

“When you look at Philly, it reminds me of that D-Wade Miami team where he had the whole old heads that had the experience, and he was a young boy and brought them a title.”

“They got the young superstar in Maxey. So you don’t need Embiid to go out there and get 30. Just like how Shaq was in Miami, that’s just his presence was enough. Zo, Toine, they got George, Embiid. That’s what this is reminding me of, I’m telling you.”

Oct 28, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) celebrates after the final horn against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Parallels to 2006 Miami Heat

The 2005-2006 Heat team featured the likes of Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O’Neal, Antoine Walker, and Alonzo Mourning. The 24-year-old Wade averaged 27.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game, while the 33-year-old O’Neal averaged 20.0 points and 9.2 rebounds per game.

Based on current trends, the Maxey-Embiid duo does share similarity to the Wade-O’Neal duo from two decades ago. This resemblance is based on the career progression of each respective player.

Wade won his first NBA championship after earning a second-straight All-Star selection and finishing sixth in the MVP race. Meanwhile, Maxey is on the path to a second All-Star selection and take over as the franchise’s top scoring option on offense.

O’Neal, while still a top contributor for the Heat, was not as consistent as his days with the Los Angeles Lakers. The former MVP played 59 regular-season games during Miami’s championship season, then 40 games for the following season. Meanwhile, Embiid went from winning the league’s MVP award in 2023 to playing a combined 58 games over the past two seasons.

Oct 31, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) looks on before the game against the Boston Celtics at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Based on the five-game sample size, Maxey has proven himself as a legitimate leader for a 76ers team going through a subtle shift. While Embiid and Paul George are the 76ers’ top earners and still solid starters, the likes of Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Quentin Grimes, and Jared McCain are taking more of the spotlight.

Overall, the 76ers have a high ceiling at this point in the season. Embiid and Maxey are both valuable parts of Philadelphia's core, though Maxey is likely to continue as the main scorer.