Since being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in July, Jaylen Brown has embarked on a global series of side quests.
In August, Brown faced his fear of heights by skydiving over the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.
In early September, Brown stepped in the ring for a boxing exhibition in Lagos, Nigeria to support his non-profit, The 7uice Foundation.
Just last week, Brown participated in fencing lessons while visiting Italy.
Not to mention his trip to a Shaolin Temple in China to learn Kung Fu prior to the trade,
Brown has made it abunadntly clear that he moves to his own rhythm, and cultivates his own voice on his livestreams to push back against the mainstream sports media take environment.
While the dust settled on Brown’s divorce from the Boston Celtics, anonymous league insiders attacked Brown’s intelligence, speaking on it as a “disease” for the rest of his teammates.
Brown has made it known he felt disrespected by the manner in which the Celtics split unfolded.
“There was definitely a message being sent, and that message was received. I wasn’t thrilled with the amount of respect that was shown during this process,” he said during a Twitch live stream in July. “I did feel like it was a lack of respect.”
It is hard to imagine another sports city for Brown to silence the doubters, stick it to his former team, and be a leader on and off the court outside of Philadelphia.
Coming off his best season as a pro, Brown averaged a career-high 28.7 points, 6.9 rrebounds and 5.1 assists per game. He led the Celtics to the Eastern Conference’s second seed in a pre-determined ‘lost season’ due to the absence of Jayson Tatum (Achilles). The campaign earned him All-NBA second team honors.
As we saw in the first round matchup between the Celtics and Sixers, Brown was inconsistent as the main cog of the offense, shrinking into a one-trick bag which utilized a controversial push-off move to create space from the defender. It resulted in 10 offensive fouls called on Brown in the series, as the Sixers came back to win it after trailing three games to one.
While the push-offs are a valid concern come spring for the Sixers, it is safe to say Brown should never be in a situation where the offense boils down to him beelining a drive through the thick of the defense. With the supporting cast (on paper) of LeBron James, Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe, Brown will never be left alone on an island like he was last postseason.
In fact, the Sixers roster this season is comparable to the Celtics championship roster in 2024. A deep, defensively capable wing position, dynamic combo-guards who can pass, shoot and hold their own defensively. The only difference is the center position, which Joel Embiid remains incomparable to the likes of Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis for a multitude of reasons.
Brown is expected to fit in a crucial leadership role the Sixers have not had since The Process began — the insight championship experience can bring. His subdued tone and demeanor could be a strong foil to the shining pillar of basketball knowledge James will bring to the table. He could offer perceptive hands-on tips for guys like Edgecombe, Labaron Philon, Justin Edwards and Dominick Barlow, especially if James were to naturally focus more on guys like Maxey and Embiid.
As James recently said on the Mind the Game podcast, helping players like Embiid, who’s resume is really only missing a ring, was part of the reason he chose Philadelphia. Although Brown did not chose the Sixers, his breadth of valuable winning experience could be another wave of support in the right direction.
Brown has displayed a knack for cutting off-ball, and it should continue to be a point of emphasis for the Sixers. If Maxey or James is penetrating and drawing multiple defenders or Embiid is being doubled, expect to see a lot of timely slashes to the rim and decisive passing from the other playmakers. Head coach Nick Nurse could get uber creative on this front.
Brown’s addition in transition will be lethal. The Sixers are now equipped with three of the four highest fastbreak scorers in the league with Maxey (7.2 transition points per game), James (7.1) and Brown (6.7). The question will be if they can close out possessions on defense to utilize their super power on the open floor, with rebounding being the big question mark.
Brown shot 34.7% from deep in the regular season, and 40% in the playoffs last season. If Brown can adjust to more off-ball opportunities, expect to see the regular season percentage go up, even if the volume of shots moves back a notch.
Brown has been a consistent wing defender throughout his career, utilizing active hands to catch drivers off-guard and his sneaky length to tightly contest pull-up jumpers. How much he helps the frontcourt defensively, both at the rim and rebounding, will be a focal point heading into the season. If he can help ease the load on Embiid and James on that end, it could do wonders for the team’s health in the back half of the campaign.
James also explained how he empathizes with Brown, and what their joint force can bring the team.
“I love the way he approaches the game, too,” he said. “Both sides of the floor, what he brings to the game. His insight on the game. I’ve watched him. Kind of misunderstood. And that is absolutely OK. I think we are all individuals for a reason. Everyone’s always trying to put everybody in the same box. And I love what he stands for and what he brings to the table in that fashion.”
“We’re two of the guys on the team that’s been through the foxhole and been through the wringer of what it takes from the moment we step on the court for training camp to the moment we raise that Larry O’Brien Trophy,” LeBron said. “We know what it takes. Just trying to make sure we’re on the same page and have everybody else on the same page.” – Mind the Game on YouTube
A Finals MVP, five-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA second team, the man knows how to win on the court, and be a vocal philanthropist off of it. Just days after the trade, Brown was back in Boston at MIT to launch his foundation’s annual STEM and leadership program targeting underserved high school students. The man follows through, and embodies everything that Philly stands for.
It is almost time to see the side-quest king do it on the court. Whether you believe that skydiving, boxing and fencing are proper activities to get prepared for the long season or not, Brown does not care. He is one-of-a-kind and will be at the forefront of the Sixers push to get over the second-round hump, and bring the Larry O’Brien back to South Philadelphia.
