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If you take out the Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Jared McCain injury concerns to start the season, things are looking good for the Philadelphia 76ers. With Tyrese Maxey and rookie VJ Edgecombe putting up All-Star-level numbers, the Sixers are tied for first in the Eastern Conference with a 5-1 record, even without the other main stars. With the hot start for Philly has come some recognition for their rising star. Most recently, the NBA announced Maxey, along with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, had been named the NBA Players of the Week in their respective conferences. “In four games played throughout the week against Orlando, at Washington, against Boston, and at Brooklyn, Maxey produced an Eastern Conference best 33.5 points on 47.4-percent shooting, 5.3 rebounds, 9.8 assists, and 1.25 steals,” the Sixers’ PR wrote on the announcement. “Maxey’s production helped guide the 76ers to a 3-1 record throughout the week, upping their overall record to 5-1 on the season.” On the season, Maxey is averaging a league-second 33.7 points per game on 46.3% shooting along with 4.8 rebounds, nine assists, and 1.2 steals. Though he took on a larger role with Embiid and George missing time last season, he is on pace for career-highs in scoring, passing, and rebounding. It was his third total time winning the Player of the Week award. Maxey’s Hot Start To The Season While Giannis Antetokounmpo was the previous Player of the Week in the Eastern Conference, Maxey still had a chance at taking home that honor as well. Through six games, he’s turned into an All-NBA level guard with the ability to lead a title-hopeful offense without the best help around him. To start the year, it’s been mostly Maxey and Edgecombe leading the way for the Sixers, but nod has to go to the former, who, for the first time in a few years, is turning Philadelphia into a scary team for opposing defenses. But just going off his numbers from last week, it was hard to point to anyone else in the East who played a bigger part in his team’s success than Maxey. In that span, he recorded a 43-point game and a near triple-double while shooting a respectable 39.5% from deep. “Maxey scored at least 25 points in each of the four contests, highlighted by a season-high 43-point (15-32 FG), eight-assist, four-rebound performance against Orlando on Oct. 27,” the Sixers announcement added. “Maxey matched his career-high with 14 assists against Boston on Oct. 31, tallying his second double-double of 2025-26.” “Maxey shot 15-of-38 (39.5%) from three-point range throughout the week, including three games with at least four makes from deep. His 30 career games with four-plus three-pointers made are the most in franchise history.” After his rise over the past few seasons, the jump from Maxey isn’t so much surprising as it is rather overdue, considering he was previously sharing the floor with two other stars in Embiid and George, who demand the ball to be impactful. Sixers Are The Early Surprise Of The NBA Season Again, the strong performances from Maxey haven’t been ground-breaking news considering his previous success on the offensive side of the ball, but the level he’s helped raise the Sixers is rather the more surprising storyline. Through six games, Philadelphia is tied with the Chicago Bulls atop the East with a 5-1 record. Embiid has been limited, while George and McCain have yet to play, but Maxey, Edgecombe, Kelly Oubre, and Quinten Grimes have been picking up the slack. The 2023 MVP hasn’t necessarily been detrimental to the team, but in his limited 20 minutes per night, the Sixers are seeing more success with the ball in Maxey’s hands, controlling the offense. As of now, Philadelphia leads the league in points per game, is second in offensive rating, and fifth in net rating. Yet still, even if Embiid never gets back to his pre-recent injury self, and the health concerns of George and McCain continue, the Sixers have Maxey and Edgecombe, two players who have looked like a top backcourt duo to begin the year. “I think they have played extremely well together and I think that relationship will continue to grow and they’ll learn a lot of how they can play off each other,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said after a recent game. “It’s very exciting, VJ’s been obviously a nice surprise. Now I’ve been saying for about five years how special Maxey is, even when I was coaching against him.” As of now, the Philadelphia 76ers appear to be Maxey’s team. They’ll face off against the Bulls to see who will sit atop the East, but regardless of the score, Maxey’s success leading the franchise is a major development through seven games.
