PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia 76ers finished a season that was filled with title expectations at just 24-58. It was a miserable year filled with injuries and a ton of adversity the team just couldn't overcome as they move forward into the offseason.
The Sixers only saw 18 games of the Big 3 they built around--Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey. Those three only finished 15 of those 18 games. The Sixers were 7-8 in those games.
Maxey's season as cut short after 52 games and he averaged 26.3 points, 6.1 assists, and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 43.7% from the floor and 33.7% from deep. It was a weird season for him in terms of his efficiency and he had his season end after a right finger sprain hampered him.
"I've learned a lot, honestly," Maxey said on Sunday. "Not just myself, but the team and organization. I think everybody has learned a lot. The last month, or however long it's been, that's been extremely tough for me, just because, at the end of the day, like, I love basketball, you know what I mean? And I want to be out there, and I want to go help and no matter what the circumstance is. I learned about different things."
Maxey had to take on a lot of responsibility to begin the season. It wasn't just the offensive responsibility he had to shoulder, but he had to be a leader for this group. He had to be more vocal and be the guy the Sixers can lean on when times get tough.
"I learned a lot about myself," he added. "I learned about how to dig yourself out of holes and who to lean on. Who you can and who you can't lean on. It happens. It doesn't feel good. It doesn't feel great, but it happens, and we have to move on with our lives."
With that being said, as he takes on the leadership mantle, Maxey had a message for his teammates. He wants this group to understand that the 2024-25 season was unacceptable and they can't allow this as time moves into the offseason.
"This is going to sound bad, but the one positive I do take away is the only way we can go from here is up, you know what I mean?" Maxey added. "Honestly, and then it gives us something to build to. Everybody in this room, no matter if they come back here, or if you're not here, if you are here, make sure you have a different type of edge about yourself. You know what I'm saying? You should go into the summer with a lot to work on and a lot to prove. Myself included."
This was a trying season for everybody involved. The Sixers now have to head into an offseason where there is a lot to correct. There are no other ways around it, this was a failure of a season. Mostly due to things out of their control, but the focus now is to correct what went wrong and move forward.
"I know this season, at the beginning of the season, I didn't start out the way I wanted to, you know what I mean?" Maxey finished. "Once I found my rhythm, I felt like I was pretty good. You know what I'm saying? Right before I hurt my finger, but I definitely learned a lot. I learned a lot. I feel like I progressed a lot. I saw a lot of defenses. I saw a lot of different coverages, late game situations, and I have a lot of mental notes and a lot of notes written down that I will go into the summer, and I'm gonna get better at those things, and I feel like I'll come back even stronger."
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Tyrese Maxey assesses season, has message for Sixers going into summer
