Tyrese Maxey is ready to lead the Sixers despite the absence of two star leaders

That means Maxey will have to take the lead in this group, just as he did during the two months Embiid was out of the 2023-24 season with a meniscus injury in his left knee. The Sixers had their problems with the big guy down as Maxey got used to being No. 1 on the opposing team's scouting reports, but as he approaches this situation, he's ready to take the lead , having learned from previous experiences.

“I learned a lot,” Maxey said. “I've said several times, obviously you don't like seeing him go down last year, but I think it really helped me develop my game mentally. “I've seen a lot of different coverage. Teams tried to do a lot of different things, tried to cash in on my success and die. So I had to find ways around that – get my teammates involved, outplay some with the ball and do different things to help my team win.”