For the past few seasons, Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid has been a mainstay in the MVP conversation. He ended taking home the award in 2023 after finishing in second behind Nikola Jokic in back-to-back seasons.

Due to the NBA’s new 65-game rule, Embiid was not eligible for the MVP award last season. Looking ahead to 2025, another member of the Sixers’ big three has been tossed around as a possible sleeper pick to take home the hardware.

Still about two months away from the start of next season, the people at Bleacher Report compiled a list of players who could be wild-card candidates for MVP. Among those mentioned included players like Paolo Banchero, Stephen Curry, and Zion Williamson. Another player who was brought up was Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey.

That’s why Maxey actually may be the Sixer who’s most likely to win MVP. The All-Star guard has crossed the 65-game threshold in two of his past three seasons, whereas George has only once in the last five years and Embiid has only twice in his 10 NBA seasons.

If Maxey puts up a similar stat line to last year (25.9 points, 6.2 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game) and is the only Sixer star to clear the 65-game mark, he could be the team’s MVP favorite by default.

With their new-look roster, the Sixers have the potential to be one of the NBA’s top teams next season. That said, it’ll likely take another massive leap from Maxey for him to enter the MVP conversation.

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Seeing that the Sixers now have another All-Star-caliber player on the team in Paul George, Embiid and Maxey are going to have to sacrifice some touches this year. It’ll be for the betterment of the group, but could also result in a minor dip in production from the two All-Stars.

Maxey is certainly talented enough to emerge as an MVP-level player as he gets closer to his prime, but at the moment, being a dark horse is the most realistic outcome for him.