Tyrese Maxey finishes with 36 points and 10 assists in an OT win over the Houston Rockets.
When the 2025-26 season began, there was a chance Tyrese Maxey would be the most likely of the Philadelphia 76ers’ players to get mentioned on the Kia Race to the MVP Ladder.
Here at the halfway point, there’s no question or debate. It’s Maxey and nobody else on the Sixers.
This season has shown the elevation of Maxey among NBA guards and, also, how Joel Embiid and Paul George ( who bring deeper and richer resumes) have taken a backseat in the Sixers’ pecking order.
Embiid is a former MVP winner and George once finished third in MVP voting, but the man on the marquee for the Sixers is Maxey. Embiid is just now regaining form after dealing with chronic leg injury issues, and George still struggles to reclaim his status as a former All-Star and two-way terror. Maxey, however, established himself as a lead singer from opening night.
He’s tough off the dribble, can get to the rim against the best defenders and his outside shooting has improved. Even better is his playmaking. Maxey is by nature a scorer trapped in a point guard’s 6-foot-2 body, but he’s averaging 6.7 assists per game, a career high, which reflects his growth and maturity in his sixth season.
Given the uncertain state of his two veteran teammates — will Embiid, especially, remain healthy? — the fate of the Sixers falls on Maxey. And he’s feeling comfortable in that role.
He’s third in the NBA in scoring and minutes per game while ranking second in steals per game. He’s also top-15 in assists, a freshly-named All-Star Game starter and squarely in the running for an All-NBA spot. He’s also been a fixture on the MVP Ladder, now cracking the top five at No. 5.
In Thursday’s win over the Houston Rockets, Maxey had 17 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. He also produced a few key steals in the stretch run and had 10 assists. While Embiid was also impressive with a 32-point triple-double, the former MVP yielded to Maxey on a handful of crucial late possessions, even setting screens for Maxey.
The Sixers are 24-19 and above the six-team playoff cutline, partly due to Maxey’s durability and ability. He’ll need help if Philly hopes to stay in the mix. But in a strange season for them, the Sixers leaned on Maxey out of necessity and he accepted and embraced the challenge to produce.
Setting the stage this week: The event has lost some of its juice and sizzle, and there are signs that both parties have moved on. Still, it is still not yet a year ago (Feb. 1) since Luka Doncic (No. 3 on the Ladder) was shockingly sent packing from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers. He makes another Dallas return Saturday, and both teams are in different situations. The Lakers are positioned to make the playoffs if nothing else. The Mavericks are rebuilding around Cooper Flagg and hoping to adopt a new identity as a result. That’s not happening this season.
The stat to know: With just under 90 seconds left Thursday in Minnesota’s loss to the Bulls, Anthony Edwards scored at least 20 points for the 17th straight game. He’s creeping just a little bit closer to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has a 115-game streak. By the way, Wilt Chamberlain’s all-time streak is 126.
What they are saying: “It’s the utmost respect. Jokic is one of the greatest players to ever play this game. It was just for me to see him and pay my respects.” — LeBron James on why he approached injured center Nikola Jokić and hugged him during a break in last Tuesday’s Lakers-Nuggets game.
1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
Last week’s ranking: No. 1 ↔️
Season stats: 32 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.3 assists
His case: Gilgeous-Alexander is inching closer to Dončić for the NBA scoring lead, helped partly by his most recent outburst, a 40-piece against the Bucks. He shot 16-19, an astonishing display of efficiency. It was his fourth game of 40 or more points this season.
Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 31.4 points in January, and even better, OKC has won seven of eight after lapsing into a brief but noticeable stretch of mediocrity. Once again, the Thunder are on top, and rather comfortably at that — in the West, and same for Gilgeous-Alexander on the Ladder.
2. Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
Last week’s ranking: No. 2 ↔️
Season stats: 29.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, 11 assists
His case: He’s averaging a triple-double, delivered the best performance of the season with a 61-point triple, and is largely recognized as the best player in basketball.
He’s on the clock, though, with his recovery from a hyperextended knee. Jokić was originally projected to be re-examined next week. We’ll see if he’s still on schedule for a potential return in February, if not before, and whether he’ll be 65-game eligible for MVP consideration.
3. Luka Dončić, Los Angeles Lakers
Last week’s ranking: No. 3 ↔️
Season stats: 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, 8.7 assists
His case: Evidently, Dončić made a New Year’s resolution to be superb. In other words, the same as all the other resolutions in recent years. Dončić is averaging 33.2 ppg this month and has scored 30 or more points in eight of 11 games in January.
Dončić remains the league’s scoring leader but does plenty more, especially offensively, to impact winning. He’s seventh on the all-time triple-double list and needs 20 to overtake Jason Kidd for No. 6. Assuming good health, Dončić could get that by next season.
4. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
Last week’s ranking: No. 4 ↔️
Season stats: 24.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.5 blocks
His case: He’s back in the starting lineup and getting a minutes increase after a string of minor leg injuries slowed his roll a bit. Nonetheless, Wembanyama remains a factor at both ends. He’s No. 2 in total blocked shots (81 in 31 games) and is averaging 24.7 ppg and 9.2 rpg in just 24.7 mpg this month.
He can be a streaky 3-point shooter, but lately has discovered a rhythm. He missed all seven attempts last Tuesday against the Rockets, but otherwise was 19-31 in his last five games.
5. Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
Last week’s ranking: No. 8 ⬆️
Season stats: 30 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.7 assists
His case: He’s perhaps the most underrated two-way player in the league. His quickness with his hands and feet makes this possible. Maxey has another gear when driving to the rim and can disrupt passing lanes defensively.
Which means this: Maxey has been a top-five NBA scorer practically all season and is second in total steals (86). He had eight steals on Monday against the Pacers and has 19 in the last four games. Before Joel Embiid began mending (and shedding minutes restrictions while adding shot attempts), Maxey carried Philly offensively. This season, he has four games of 40 or more points, with a season high of 54.
The next 5:
6. Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics ⬇️
7. Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons ⬇️
8. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves ⬇️
9. Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets ⬆️
10. Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets ↔️
And five more (listed alphabetically): Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks; Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors; Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors; Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks; Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA since 1985. You can e-mail him at spowell@nba.com, find his archive here and follow him on X.
