“You’re Going to Be a Star in This League,” Tyrese Maxey Recalls Joel Embiid’s Belief Before His NBA Debut

Before Tyrese Maxey became an All-Star guard and one of the Philadelphia 76ers’ defining players, he was just a rookie trying to survive practice reps and learn where he fit. What Maxey now says about Joel Embiid gives that early period a different kind of importance. In recounting his first days around the team, Maxey said Embiid was the first NBA player who truly believed in him, even before he had appeared in a regular-season game.

Maxey’s story starts in the least glamorous place possible: deep in practice lineups, long before stardom, when rookies are usually trying not to make mistakes. Maxey remembered climbing from the “third group” to the second unit and then eventually getting a chance with the first unit after impressing Embiid in pick-and-roll games.

Big men often know quickly which guards can make their lives easier. Timing in the pick-and-roll, pace coming off screens, comfort with pressure and willingness to make the right read all show up immediately. If Embiid was pushing to see Maxey against better competition in practice, it suggests he recognized not just talent, but compatibility. He was not simply saying the rookie was exciting. He was signaling that the rookie could help the team function.

By bringing Maxey closer, Embiid was effectively telling him that he belonged near the center of the team’s internal life, not at the edges of it. For a young player still trying to figure out his place, that kind of signal can change the speed of his development.

1. Joel Embiid Believed in Tyrese Maxey Before He Ever Played an NBA Game

Tyrese Maxey, speaking on the podcast, said Joel Embiid was “the first person NBA-like player-wise to believe in me.” Maxey explained, “because I played against them in like practice a couple times, I was on like the penny group like the third group and I was like, we won a couple games like a little pick and roll games and he was like, okay, he is kind of good.” Maxey continued, “Then I got to the second unit, we won a couple games, he was like, okay put him on the first unit let’s see what he does.” He then admitted, “I was so nervous playing with him the first time. Like, I don’t know what to do.” Recalling another early moment, Maxey said, “But first time I got on a plane, he is like sit right here. Sit by me. And I’m like, Okay, all right. I guess I knew I didn’t have a choice. I was a rookie.” Maxey added that Embiid reassured him from the beginning, saying, “you’re going to be a star in this league, bro. You’re going to be really good. You’re going to be this. You’re going to be that,” before reflecting on his own disbelief: “I’m like, bro, I haven’t even played a game. I played zero basketball games.”

2. Embiid Believed in Maxey While He Was Still Trying to Become Himself

Maxey was the No. 21 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, not the kind of prospect universally treated as an immediate franchise cornerstone. Guards taken in that range often need time, role clarity and trust before their real upside appears. That is when Embiid helped supply some of that trust before Maxey had any NBA resume to support it. That kind of early belief matters especially on a team built around an established superstar. Young guards on veteran contenders can struggle because every possession feels borrowed. There is less room for experimentation and more pressure to play correctly right away. If Embiid was advocating for Maxey during practices and then reinforcing his confidence away from the floor, he was doing something important: reducing the psychological distance between prospect and contributor. It is easy, in hindsight, to treat Maxey’s emergence as inevitable because of how dynamic he has become. But player development rarely feels inevitable in the moment. It often turns on access, repetition and whether a young player feels free enough to play decisively. For Maxey, talent was there, but comfort had to be built. Embiid’s role was to make that process move faster.

3. Tyrese Maxey’s Career Numbers Show How Quickly That Faith Turned Into Production

Maxey’s growth from promising young guard to one of the league’s most productive perimeter scorers now has the numbers to match the story. He is a former Most Improved Player and first-time All-Star, and he was named a 2025-26 All-Star starter while posting career-best production. Those markers show that the internal belief Maxey described eventually became league-wide recognition. His current season underlines just how far he has come. In 2025-26, Maxey has averaged 28.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game, production that places him among the NBA’s top scorers and most important lead guards. The broader career arc is just as telling. He arrived as a quick, energetic scoring guard, but over time, he has become a more complete offensive organizer, i.e., someone capable of handling star-level usage while still playing with speed. What stands out most about Maxey’s numbers is not only the volume, but the pace of his development. He did not spend years hovering in the background before breaking through. He moved relatively quickly from upside play to structural necessity. On the other hand, Embiid is not just a respected veteran. He has been one of the defining centers of his era and one of the most accomplished players in franchise history. He is a seven-time All-Star, the 2022-23 MVP, a two-time scoring champion, a five-time All-NBA selection and a three-time All-Defensive pick. Embiid has averaged 27.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists over 483 career games, all starts. Even in the current 2025-26 season, He is still producing at an elite level, with roughly 26.6 to 26.9 points per game while anchoring Philadelphia whenever healthy. They are the numbers of a player whose basketball judgment naturally carries gravity within a locker room.

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• Tyrese Maxey
• Joel Embiid