The Philadelphia 76ers had a ton of expectations entering the 2024-25 season after the big addition of Paul George. The Sixers were counting on George, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey to lead the way, but injuries sabotaged everything and Philadelphia missed the playoffs entirely with a 28-54 record.
With that said, Maxey learned a lot in that tough season. He took steps forward as a leader both in the locker room and on the floor. That has helped him in this instance as the Sixers look to take that leap in the Eastern Conference with all the talent that has been added to the roster.
In an interview with HoopsHype , Maxey discussed the lessons he learned in that tough 2024-25 season:
The biggest thing I learned was patience. I mean, I got hurt like three times that year, I think, and it wasn't like real bad injuries, but it was little nagging injuries that they didn't want me to play through because it would just make it worse and worse and worse. And I'm somebody who just loves playing basketball, so I had to be patient. I had to kind of sit out some of those times where I wish I could have played, but I probably shouldn't play. The medical staff had the best interest for me. And then just patience, and just mentally, when you lose. That was my first time losing like that in my life, you know, consecutive games in a row in a row in a row. I just made a vow to myself that it wouldn't happen to me again.
Maxey averaged 28.3 points in the 2025-26 season and led the Sixers to Round 2 of the playoffs. He played a huge role in the Sixers rallying from a 3-1 deficit to eliminate the Boston Celtics in the playoffs. It was the first time in Philadelphia's history that it rallied from a 3-1 deficit to win a playoff series.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Sixers' Tyrese Maxey discusses lessons learned in tough 2024-25 season