Tyrese Maxey declared out for the season with finger tendon injury

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) and guard Tyrese Maxey (0) stand together during a break in action - Bill Streicher, Imagn Images

The Philadelphia 76ers are a dumpster fire this season and Tyrese Maxey will not be a part of that fire the rest of the way. After an all-time start for the former Kentucky guard, who averaged a career-high 26.3 points, 6.1 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 52 games this season, the 24-year-old has been ruled out the remainder of 2024-25 with a finger tendon injury.

ESPN’s Shams Charania was the first to break the news.

Coming off his first All-Star appearance and Most Improved Player honors in 2023-24, Maxey was expected to lead a three-headed monster in Philadelphia alongside Joel Embiid and Paul George. Those two, unfortunately, were previously ruled out for the season, joining rookie standout Jared McCain and veteran Eric Gordon.

Now, Maxey — who has been out since March 3 with finger discomfort — is joining the long list of permanent absences as the Sixers limp across the finish line this season, currently sitting in 13th place in the East with a 23-53 record. They’ve now lost nine games in a row and 26 of the team’s last 30 games.

Maxey, the No. 21 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, is in his fifth season in Philadelphia. After a solid debut season in 2020-21, the former Wildcat has been nothing short of a star for the Sixers since, averaging at least 17.5 points per game since with 20-plus in each of the last three seasons — including 25-plus the last two.

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Fortunately, his losing this season has been rewarded, Maxey signing a five-year, $204 million max contract extension this past offseason. No crying on the yacht in Philly.

Now, all eyes are on the Sixers to punt down the stretch with their first-round pick top-six protected while sitting at fifth-worst in the overall standings. They’ll need to get those ping pong balls to bounce their way to keep the selection and add talent around the former Kentucky star.