One of the many talking points that surrounded the Philadelphia 76ers during the offseason was whether Jaylen Brown would be happy. You saw the jokes about how he wanted to run his own team, so Boston responded by sending him to a team full of stars. You saw the comments about whether he could handle not being the center of attention.
Well, about that. After the 76ers' win over the Bulls on Monday, Brown said this in response to a question about Tyrese Maxey's fourth-quarter takeovers:
"Yeah, Maxey's been leading the way 100 percent. He's been here. This is his team. He and Joel have been here for a while. The mindset has been to complement those guys. I'm finding my footing, but Maxey has been leading the way for sure."
For Philadelphia to make a star-studded starting lineup work, it needs buy-in from every player, and so far, it has. Brown hasn't demanded the ball or made snide postgame comments about not being the top option. He knows that role belongs to Maxey.
Philly isn't having any Brown-vs.-Jayson Tatum-like debates over who should be the star. There is no awkward tension. No one is dissecting off-court relationships.
So far, it's been a breath of fresh air.
Jaylen Brown says the 76ers are Tyrese Maxey's team
The numbers support that. Maxey is averaging 29.1 points per game, the third-best in the league. He's been the 76ers' guy in the clutch, scoring a league-high 88 points in the fourth quarter this season. Philadelphia knows who to turn to.
Because of the 76ers' offensive weapons (which they're still trying to figure out how to operate), that role can shift nightly, but so far Maxey has basked in the spotlight. And that's how it should be.
Philadelphia didn't need Brown to come in and put the team on his back as he did in Boston last season with Jayson Tatum sidelined. That was never the expectation. He knew how things would be with the 76ers as soon as the trade happened, and even more so after LeBron James signed his two-year deal.
As Brown said, he's getting used to a new system and finding ways to complement Maxey and Embiid. In the win over Chicago, that meant doing a little bit of everything—finishing with a season-high 25 points (9-of-15 shooting), 11 rebounds, five assists, and one steal.
He's a winning player, and on Monday, he specifically talked about making the right plays and having an unselfish attitude. That's exactly what the 76ers need from him. They don't need him to be Maxey.
The naysayers will probably still try to pit Brown against his teammates. But hopefully, that narrative will stem from the 76ers' success, because it couldn't possibly end well for him in Philadelphia, right?
Hey, it just might.
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