Tyrese Maxey calls out Joel Embiid during 76ers team meeting amid 2-11 start

Tyrese Maxey isn’t a fan of the Philadelphia 76ers’ poor start to the season, and he called out a former MVP in front of the entire team to try and get his message across.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, a team meeting following Monday night’s 106-89 loss to the Miami Heat led to Maxey calling out 76ers center Joel Embiid for being late “for everything”. Charania clarified that the former Kentucky star and Embiid have a “close friendship” and there are past examples of the two holding each other accountable, but another source told Charania that “this is the elephant in the room.”

The team meeting also included players asking head coach Nick Nurse to coach them harder, with coaches asking for more attention to detail during practice. Keep in mind that we are just five weeks into the 2024-25 season. Before going down with an injury earlier this month, Maxey was averaging 27.6 points in 39.7 minutes per outing.

ESPN reporting: Inside the Philadelphia 76ers' team meeting Monday night amid a 2-11 start – in which a star challenged All-NBA center Joel Embiid.https://t.co/pcO1ZssOFY

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 19, 2024

Let’s take a step back and provide some context to the situation in Philly. The franchise’s front office brought in Nurse during the offseason ahead of the 2023-24 campaign. James Harden was shipped to the Los Angeles Clippers early in the season as Maxey quickly solidified himself as a budding star in the league. The 76ers finished that season 47-35 but lost in the first round of the playoffs as Embiid played just 39 games while dealing with various injuries.

Knowing that Embiid, now 30 years old, was nearing the end of his prime, the Philly brain trust added nine-time All-Star Paul George earlier in the 2024 offseason. Paired alongside Embiid and a 24-year-old Maxey, this was believed to be the team that would finally bring Embiid to his first Conference Finals. But the season has nearly already come to an end before it could get started. Embiid had played just three games due to injury and suspension. George has played only seven games due to injury. Even Maxey, who is expected to return later this week, has seen just seven games of action due to injury.

Add all of that up and you get the worst record in the Eastern Conference through 13 games. The vibes are low in Philly right now.