NEW YORK -- The Philadelphia 76ers fell to the Brooklyn Nets 114-108on Thursday night in the preseason, but the result does not matter. What matters is that the Sixers were able to get that much-anticipated projected starting 5 on the floor and get some real game action together.
The Sixers were able to get a glimpse of what Jaylen Brown, LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and VJ Edgecombe look like together. The results were encouraging as the Sixers were able to get out and run at times while also being able to find success in the half court offense. James, especially, was able to get the Sixers organized and help them find a rhythm.
Brown led Philadelphia with 18 points on Thursday and he was happy with the early results.
"It’s a first
step in the journey," Brown stated. "Building some good chemistry, getting up and down, playing at a good pace, playing unselfish. Defensively, getting on the same page. I think that's the most important: defensively. I think we can be tighter. So, just first step in the journey."
The Sixers will be looking to continue growing chemistry and have everybody understand their roles and how they want to run the offense. There were times on Thursday when Brown was in the dunker spot and Embiid was in the mid-post and Philadelphia was able to find success there. Luckily for Philadelphia, Brown is somebody who can play multiple positions and operate in any spot on the floor. It will take time, but the 2024 finals MVP is ready to work.
"I’ve played a lot of different spots my whole career," Brown explained. "So, not something I'm unfamiliar with. I feel like at this point in my career, I can play from any position, anywhere, at any given time and be effective. So dunker is not something I'm not familiar with."
Of course, there will be more conversations between Brown and Embiid and the two will grow their on-court relationship and figure out the next steps. Again, the good thing is, they're high IQ players and will be looking to grow the much-needed cohesion for the future.
"It’s early, so we still got to figure some stuff out in terms of spacing, kind of what we're looking for, but it'll be an ongoing communication," Brown said. "I'm sure of that."
A big, important factor in all of this is that the Sixers now have some film they can look at for the future. Obviously, it's still early days and there isn't much film examples for them to learn from. This matchup with the Nets now allows them to have that film so they can move forward.
"Yeah, that's great," Brown beamed. "Like I said, it's a great step in the journey. Get out there, compete and build in chemistry. For the most part, I thought it went well, but we gotta continue to build, hold each other accountable, and keep getting better, 1% better."
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Jaylen Brown reacts to Sixers having complete starting 5 vs. Nets
