Jaylen Brown’s start with the Philadelphia 76ers hasn’t been overwhelming, but one part of his game has already jumped off the page.
Through Philadelphia’s first five games, Brown has been available every night and has put up a well-rounded line: 20.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 36.4 minutes per game. That production has him third on the team in scoring, third in rebounds and fourth in assists, while his minutes rank second.
Solid stuff. Still, the clearest early win has come from deep.
Brown is hitting 40.9% of his three-point tries so far, good for second on the Sixers and on pace to be a career high if he keeps it up. He’s taking 4.4 threes a night and making 1.8 of them, which matters because the looks should keep coming on a roster that can bend defenses with the presence of Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and LeBron James. If Brown keeps cashing in on those open chances, that’s going to say a lot about how Philadelphia’s offense functions.
The even better sign is what he’s doing on catch-and-shoot threes. Brown is connecting on those at a 43.8% clip, which leads the team and would also be a career-best. With so many ball-dominant players around him, there’s a real chance he spends more time working without the ball than he has in the past, and so far he’s handled that assignment well.
That said, Brown shouldn’t be boxed into just standing around waiting for the pass. He’s still at his most dangerous when he’s getting downhill and attacking the paint with the ball in his hands. Finding the right balance is part of Nick Nurse’s job as he pieces together an offense loaded with star power.
For now, Brown has been parked in the corner a little too often for my taste, and I’d like to see more actions designed to get him moving toward the basket. But the Sixers are still sorting things out offensively, so there’s room for patience. Early on, at least, Brown has already shown he can thrive in one of the most important parts of his new role.
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Knicks Send A Roster Message Right Before Facing The 76ers
The Knicks made a quiet but telling roster move before their meeting with the 76ers, declining to pick up Pacome Dadiets fourth-year team option. The decision turns the former first-round pick into an unrestricted free agent in June and adds another layer to a New York roster that has been sorting out its long-term plans while trying to stay competitive right now.
Dadiet had already been the subject of preseason trade discussions, so this was not a sudden shift in direction. By passing on the option, the Knicks created salary space for next season and sent a clear message about where the young wing stands in their plans, especially after he struggled to carve out consistent minutes. For the 76ers, it is another reminder that even a division rivals roster decisions can ripple into the broader Eastern Conference picture. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Open NBA Cup Play With Sixers Missing A Key Piece
The 76ers will open NBA Cup play at home against the Knicks without Jaylen Brown, who has been ruled out because of left knee patellar tendinopathy. Head coach Nick Nurse said Browns knee soreness surfaced after the recent game, and the guard was unable to take part in pregame shootaround, leaving Philadelphia to adjust on the fly for a matchup with added early-season stakes.
Nurse did not offer a timeline for Browns return, which leaves the Sixers waiting to see how long they will be without one of their key pieces. In the meantime, the coaching staff is weighing lineup options, with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope or Dean Wade among the candidates to step into the starting group and help absorb the loss on the wing. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Ganseys First Sixers Offseason Could Make NBA History
Mike Ganseys first offseason running basketball operations in Philadelphia has already given the 76ers a very different look, and the front office overhaul has been impossible to miss around the league. The new team president helped steer a summer that brought in Jaylen Brown and added depth with Dean Wade, Anfernee Simons and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, a series of moves that has the Sixers positioned to contend now while also keeping an eye on what comes next.
The early returns have been strong enough that Gansey is already being mentioned in rarefied company, with chatter building around a possible run at NBA Executive of the Year. If that happens, it would not just reflect one busy offseason, but a level of league-wide agreement that is hard to come by in a job where every major decision gets picked apart from multiple angles. [Read more 🡒]