NBA Fans Lament Tyrese Maxey's Lack of Help in 76ers Loss vs. Jayson Tatum, Celtics

Well, Tyrese Maxey did what he could.

The Philadelphia 76ers star was excellent for the Joel Embiid-less Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night, putting up 32 points and five assists in a rivalry showdown with the Boston Celtics.

But it wasn't enough in the team's 117-99 loss, as the team's other four starters—Tobias Harris, Buddy Hield, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Paul Reed—shot a combined 8-of-36 from the field.

That's horrendous, and fans and pundits on social media were annoyed on Maxey's behalf:

Some of those takes might be a touch harsh, especially since Mo Bamba (10 points, six rebounds), Cam Payne (13 points) and Ricky Council IV (16 points, four rebounds) had surprisingly strong nights off the bench.

And the Celtics (46-12) are pretty darn good, too. The three-headed monster of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porziņģis combined for 82 points, with Tatum nearly notching a triple-double (28 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists), while Porziņģis provided a double-double (23 points, 12 boards).

It didn't help that Boston had a massive advantage in free throws (34-of-37) compared to the Sixers (11-of-12).

But it was clear on Tuesday night that Boston had a balanced roster of stars whose skill sets genuinely complement one another, while the Sixers without Embiid had Maxey and a cast of role players who—outside of the trio of Bamba, Payne and Council—didn't play particularly well.

The majority of the scorn was saved for Tobias Harris, who shot 5-of-19 from the field en route to 13 points and two rebounds. There's some history there—Sixers fans have never felt Harris came close to living up to the five-year, $180 million contract he signed ahead of the 2019-20 season, and have often wanted more from the team's third option.

Maxey remains a joy to watch. But without Embiid, the same can't be said for the rest of the Sixers (33-25), who are now just 4-7 since he last played on Jan. 30 due to a left meniscus injury. The Sixers need to turn things around if they hope to keep themselves in a strong playoff position as they continue to hope the defending MVP returns this season.