Tyrese Maxey Still Confident in Sixers Contending After Rough Season

Tyrese Maxey is still upbeat about the 76ers' chances next season.

Mar 23, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) talks to guard Kyle Lowry (7) during a timeout against the Atlanta Hawks in the second quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia 76ers just experienced one of the rougher seasons they've had in quite some time, finishing the season with only 24 wins, the lowest since the 2015-16 season. Perhaps the biggest reason for their struggles came as a result of injuries all across the board, with Joel Embiid and Paul George, among others, having struggled throughout the season with staying on the court.

The lack of appearances from the aforementioned partnership was something that Philadelphia head coach Nick Nurse attributed to Tyrese Maxey's struggles on the court. "He was just almost disappointed that we were having the injuries, like they were so excited to get out there and see what this team could do, then those two guys kind of weren't there for a large part of that," explained Nurse.

Maxey's scoring numbers would improve for the fourth-straight season, rising to 26.3 points per game, yet his efficiency numbers would drop. The former Kentucky star would shoot a career-low 43.7 percent from the field, which is slightly below from what he was converting on in the previous campaign.

The injury bug would eventually bite the 24-year-old as his season was ended early due to a sprained right finger. Yet looking back at the season, Maxey gathered enough to be confident about the Sixers' chances next year, with the main factor being the health of the team.

"If you're healthy, you know, you should always have a shot, and then the names on the paper mean, yeah. I mean, it looks nice, it does, and I think we've seen where our peaks can be in this year," said Maxey. "It wasn't a lot of them, but it was some stretches where we all played and we looked really good."

As a result of the various injuries over the course of the season, Nurse was forced to use several different lineups over the course of the season, which allowed Maxey and his veteran teammates to get a look at all of their teammates, helping them find out their strengths and weaknesses.

"We found the right rotation. We knew who to get the ball to, when we needed to get the ball to them. Everybody got shots. Everybody looked good. The sky is the limit, and that's the thing that I can say, but the work has to be put in. From day one. Not from the middle of the season.

One of the focus points in the upcoming offseason will be retaining some of those players, as Philadelphia is set to have to decide on 11 contracts, whether it's through restricted free agency, player options, or team options.