The Philadelphia 76ers are taking aim at the title in the 2026-27 season after a busy offseason in which the front office upgraded the roster in a number of ways. They swung a big deal early in the offseason to acquire Jaylen Brown from the rival Boston Celtics after a stellar season in 2025-26.
In what was expected to be a "gap year" considering the Jayson Tatum injury, Brown led the Celtics to a 56-26 record after averaging 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists. Of course, they then fell to the Sixers in Round 1 after seeing a 3-1 lead slip away, but it doesn't take away from the great season Brown had to lead Boston to the success it had.
ESPN is ranking the top 100 players in the league heading into the 2026-27 season and Brown comes
in ranked No. 14:
With Jayson Tatum missing most of the 2025-26 season, Brown posted the third-highest usage rate in the league behind Doncic and Antetokounmpo. He delivered in those minutes, averaging 28.7 points, the fifth most in a season in Celtics history. In addition, Brown became the fourth Celtics player to average 25 points, five rebounds and five assists in a season, joining Tatum, Larry Bird and John Havlicek. But the move to the 76ers opens questions about what his usage looks like playing alongside James, Embiid and Maxey.
As Brown heads to Philadelphia, there are certainly going to be challenges and questions for him to answer and overcome, but the 2024 finals MVP will be looking to help the Sixers get over the hump in the East. This is a franchise that hasn't been past Round 2 since 2001 and hasn't won a title since 1983. Now is the time for the Sixers to finally get the job done.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: 76ers' Jaylen Brown comes in ranked as the No. 14 player in the league
