Stephen A. Smith Makes Controversial Comments On 76ers Stars

Last night, the Philadelphia 76ers were eliminated from the NBA playoffs by the New York Knicks in Game 6.

Despite not being 100% due to injury, Embiid still did everything he could to keep the Sixers' season alive, scoring 39 points on 12 of 25 shooting and 13 rebounds. Embiid fouled out late in the game. His co-star, Tyrese Maxey followed up a 46-point masterclass in Game 5 with a dud, scoring 17 points on 6 of 18 shooting.

On Friday's episode of First Take , when asked if the 76ers should move on from Embiid, Stephen A. Smith gave a controversial answer.

"You keep him. The franchise just can't evolve around him anymore. It has to evolve around Tyrese Maxey. Maxey is the face of this franchise," Smith said.

Embiid has been the franchise player in Philadelphia for 10 years. He is still in his prime and coming off an MVP season.

"Maxey deserves max dollars. Maxey has to be treated like that star, to make sure that the components that are put around the team evolve around him and Embiid has to adjust to that because of his absence of availability due to durability issues," Stephen A. continued.

The full video was posted to the official First Take account on social media.

Maxey is coming off his best season in the NBA, making his first All-Star team and winning Most Improved Player. Regardless if Maxey is the face of the franchise or not, his future is bright.

Related: Charles Barkley Names 76ers Fatal Flaw Following Game 6 Loss