Jaylen Brown is facing a different kind of challenge this fall, and it has nothing to do with shot selection or scoring load. After more than three months since the trade that sent him from the Boston Celtics to the Philadelphia 76ers, Brown is finally getting his first real stretch of work with his new staff and teammates during training camp - and the learning curve has been immediate.
“It’s a whole new system, whole new calls,” Brown said. “I got to like download my brain to a different algorithm to make sure I’m not calling the wrong stuff because the names are different.
“Some of the terminology, they use the same words, but it's a whole different coverage.”
That’s the reality of leaving one basketball world for another. Brown came into the league as the No. 3 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft and spent his entire career in Boston before this move, which means the 2026-27 season will be the first time he suits up in anything other than Celtics green. He’s already worked under three different coaches in Boston - Brad Stevens, Ime Udoka and Joe Mazzulla - but this is the first time he’s had to absorb a completely new organization, a new playbook and a new language on the fly.
For Brown, that means learning how to mesh with a brand-new group while getting comfortable in Nick Nurse’s system. The clock is ticking, but he does have some breathing room. Philadelphia opens the regular season on Oct. 20 at Madison Square Garden against the defending champion Knicks, giving Brown roughly three weeks from the start of camp to get everything locked in before the games start counting.
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Celtics Face A Bigger Paul George Decision Than Fans Realize
Even with age, injury history and a hefty contract attached, Paul George still has enough standing around the league that teams have not written him off as a difference-maker. An NBA executive told Sean Deveney that George continues to carry considerable value, which helps explain why his arrival in Boston has remained a topic of real interest rather than a passing roster note.
George has also sounded upbeat about landing with the Celtics and has made clear he would like to stick around. The larger question is how Boston sees him as the season unfolds, because the teams long-term plan for him is still unsettled and the answer will say a lot about where this roster is headed next. [Read more 🡒]
Paul George Usage Could Reveal A Lot About Bostons Confidence
The Celtics handling of Paul George is already shaping up as one of the more interesting early questions around their rotation. A minutes restriction would not be unusual for a veteran with mileage, and Boston has history here, having managed Al Horford carefully in his later seasons with the team. For now, though, there is no official indication that George is headed for that kind of limited workload, and the tone from media day suggested he may be available whenever he is healthy.
That leaves the real intrigue in how Boston chooses to use him once the games start counting. The Celtics seem confident George can handle significant minutes this season, which says plenty about how they view his body and his role in the rotation. Even so, the exact plan has not been confirmed, and the difference between a full-go approach and a more cautious one could tell a lot about just how aggressively Boston wants to chase the regular season with its veteran core. [Read more 🡒]
Payton Pritchard Is About To Face Bostons Biggest New Test
Payton Pritchard has spent his Celtics tenure turning steady growth into real trust, and last season made the leap as his most productive one yet. After improving each year in Boston, he earned Sixth Man of the Year honors in 2025 and gave the Celtics efficient scoring, playmaking and a burst off the bench that helped shape their second unit.
Now the challenge changes. With Jaylen Brown gone to Philadelphia, Pritchard is set to shoulder a bigger creation load alongside Jayson Tatum, and that kind of expanded responsibility brings a different level of scrutiny in Boston. The question is no longer whether he can help spark the offense in a reserve role, but whether he can keep that production steady while becoming a more central part of what the Celtics do next. [Read more 🡒]