September 18, 2026
Colleen Claggett/for PhillyVoice
How will 2024 NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown fit into his new team?
Welcome to PhillyVoice's series of Sixers player previews ahead of the 2026-27 season.
After two years of volatility, Sixers fans entered this offseason teetering on apathy. Then came new Sixers President of Basketball Operations Mike Gansey, the architect of what became a dream summer. Gansey traded Paul George away, landing five-time All-Star Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics. As Gansey accumulated depth around Brown, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, the door opened for an unfathomable addition.
LeBron James is a member of the Sixers, rounding out one of the most talented starting lineups in recent NBA history. And suddenly, the Sixers have cultivated more local and national interest than ever before. Games are not won on paper, but the Sixers are built to be full-blown championship contenders for however long James remains in Philadelphia.
As Sixers Media Day on Sept. 28 nears, our player preview series will focus on two key questions surrounding each member of the team's 14-player standard roster.
Up next: Jaylen Brown, the sixth-place finisher in NBA MVP voting last season. With Jayson Tatum sidelined for much of the season, Brown assumed a massive scoring workload for a Celtics team that most expected to be mediocre. Instead, they won 56 games before shockingly blowing a 3-1 series lead to the Sixers. Now, Brown will have to refine his approach on both ends of the floor to not just fit a new organization, but also a new-look style of roster.
SIXERS PLAYER PREVIEWS
Joel Embiid | Labaron Philon Jr. | Dean Wade | Dominick Barlow
Adem Bona | Tyrese Maxey | VJ Edgecombe | Jaylen Brown
The question above is the single most interesting basketball-centric question that surrounds this team heading into the season.
James is a dominant downhill driver, force in the post and brilliant passer. Maxey is a blur getting to the rim, but also has incredible range as a pull-up shooter and even better accuracy as a spot-up shooter. Even Embiid has a singular style, but he can dominate from the post or the nail, while also driving value as a passer. Brown is capable of handling an absurd workload when it comes to self-created scoring – that is what catapulted him into mainstream superstar status last season – but does not have a proven track record of providing significant value elsewhere offensively.
So, do the Sixers lean into Brown's primary strength by putting him at the epicenter of the offensive operation at all times, even when all five starters are on the court? They could for the sake of continuity, but that just benefits Brown, not the rest of the group. The Sixers traded for Brown and are paying him lots of money; even after the James signing it is indisputable that the Sixers will ask Brown to do a lot of what he is best at. But there has to be some level of compromise, and finding an effective off-ball role within this starting five seems like the obvious option.
Can Brown make strides as a spot-up three-point shooter with the benefit of more selectivity? He is a tremendous force at the rim given his size and athleticism; can that power be utilized as a play finisher and not a creator? Perhaps the Sixers can incorporate some cutting into Brown's game – it would be one way to make the most of his explosive nature at the rim.
Brown may be fourth on this team in time with the ball, but he will definitely not be fourth in scoring. Brown is going to get his. Can Sixers head coach Nick Nurse find creative ways to turn him into a role player for minutes at a time within this star-laden lineup?
SIXERS FILM STUDIES
Jaylen Brown's strengths | Jaylen Brown's weaknesses
Anfernee Simons | Dean Wade | Ariel Hukporti
Brown can be a high-level defender at times – even a game-changer in certain matchups – but his production on that end lags behind his reputation to some degree. His strength is guarding the ball, and doing it against guards and wings alike. But he has been prone to off-ball lapses which severely damage his overall value as a defender, even if these plays never get marked down in box scores:
While Jaylen Brown is largely good as an on-ball defender, he often struggles to remain engaged as an off-ball defender, prone to getting beat on back-cuts: pic.twitter.com/9NoxrP28aY
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) July 4, 2026
No matter what his offensive role is, the Sixers' defensive personnel requires Brown to be at his best when it comes to remaining engaged. Brown does not need to lead the NBA in deflections – in that department, he will not just be a downgrade from George, but also Kelly Oubre Jr. – but he needs to avoid falling asleep and getting burned for it consistently.
If Brown can do that, his stout nature as a one-on-one defender will really shine. Brown is not just athletic, strong and physically capable, he is prideful, too. That matters, especially in an NBA in which more and more stars are afraid of getting embarrassed by each other.
Jaylen Brown's strongest skill defensively is guarding the ball, in part thanks to his blend of athleticism and strength: pic.twitter.com/rWz6X6832L
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) July 4, 2026
The makeup of the Sixers' starting lineup would suggest that Edgecombe will defend top guards and Brown will handle top wings, but as lineups change throughout games Nurse could certainly lean on Brown's ability to use his physicality against smalls. Luckily for Brown, he will no longer have to defend Maxey.
SIXERS SIGN LEBRON JAMES
James' decision | Projecting Sixers' rotation | James' impact, on and off the court
