The Philadelphia 76ers (17-27) aren’t in a good spot ahead of the NBA’s 2025 All-Star break. The Eastern Conference squad has fallen well short of expectations in 2024-25 despite acquiring Paul Gorge over the offseason, and poor health has a lot to do with the team’s underperformance. Rookie standout Jared McCain is out for the season with a torn meniscus while Joel Embiid and George have been in and out of the lineup with various injuries. Tyrese Maxey has been Philly’s most consistent force since returning from his own early-season injury and will have to play at a high level for the 76ers to avoid missing the postseason.
Maxey averaged 25.9 points, 6.2 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game in his breakout 2023-24 campaign and has a chance to improve upon all those numbers this season. His shooting percentages are down, but he’s posting career highs in points per game (26.6) and steals per game (1.9) through 37 outings this season. His counting stats have been more impressive without his co-stars.
Maxey is averaging 28.0 points, 5.8 assists, and 3.3 rebounds without Embiid this season but has gone just 9-18 straight up in those contests. His numbers are nearly identical when George doesn’t suit up and he’s 3-9 straight up when the former Los Angeles Clippers wing is inactive. Hero ball looks good on paper, but it’s clear that Maxey’s high-volume shooting isn’t leading to team success.
It seems like Philadelphia missing the playoffs altogether or fizzling out in the play-in tournament is a foregone conclusion at this point, as a large majority of the teams ahead in the standings are producing consistent results with or without their stars available. There doesn’t appear to be much value in betting on the 76ers to make the playoffs (+115, BetMGM) or surpass their win total (36.5, BetMGM) given the fact that George and Embiid will likely not be regular fixtures in 76ers’ lineups.
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