TyreseMaxey

Preseason question: What do the loaded Sixers need from Maxey? The seventh-year guard is the rare star who never gets in anyone’s way. If you want him to drive the offense, he will, and he has, to playoff effect. If you need him to work opposite another creator, he can do that, too—with starring bigs and guards and forwards alike. He can play up-tempo or slowed down, outside or inside, on the wing or at the top of the floor. It’s up to the Sixers, then, to choose their own adventure. Philadelphia’s offense has some self-evident truths, but it will also inevitably change shape over the course of the season. Maxey, more than any other Sixers star, makes that sort of adjustment possible. His responsibilities in April might vary wildly from what they were in December, and it’s Maxey’s ultra-flexible skill set that gives Philly the chance to experiment at every step along the way. That can be a thankless job on a team this talented. It’s also exactly the kind of give that a superteam needs to become the best version of itself.