PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia 76ers caught a glimpse of what's to come in Monday's 120-97 win over the New York Knicks to open the preseason. Jaylen Brown, one of the team's premier acquisitions, had 22 points on 8-for-13 shooting in 17 first half minutes.
Brown also shot 3-for-5 from deep and showed an ability to create offense against an aggressive Knicks defense. He had some good defensive moments, showed his ability to knock down tough shots, and embraced his unofficial Sixers debut to open the exhibition schedule.
"I’m happy to be here and it’s an honor," Brown said after the win. "God is the greatest. I don’t take anything for granted. So, I just get out there and I put my best foot forward. I’m going to leave it all out on the floor
and I’m here to win. I want to win. So just building a winning environment is great. So I’m looking forward to doing that here, but I’m happy to be here."
With that being said, it is just the preseason. These games don't matter other than to just get some reps against another team other than playing against yourselves in practice. Brown, a 10-year veteran and a champion in this league, understands that. The preseason is for getting ready for the challenges that will inevitably come for the Sixers.
"Just getting some game reps," Brown said of the preseason performance. "Getting some conditioning. Get some other bodies. We’ve been beating each other up in practice and in training camp, so it was good to go out and play against somebody else."
On the flip side, one can argue that this is a continuation of the 2025-26 season when Brown averaged 28.7 points per game for the Boston Celtics. He has worked hard on his overall game and has been able to put up some big performances. Some call it luck. Some call it hard work. Either way, Brown is just trying to prepare for the 82-game grind.
"You could say that, some hard work," Brown pondered. "But it’s a long season. It’s a preseason game. I hit some shots, but it’s a long season, so you’ve got to definitely continue to get better, figure some stuff out. I’m looking forward to that journey. There’s gonna be ups. There’s gonna be downs. I just got to be ready for anything."
The Sixers have three exhibition games left before the season opener on Oct. 20 against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Jaylen Brown gives thoughts on Philly after Sixers preseason win
