If there has been a common theme in recent years, it is the inability of the Philadelphia 76ers as a collective to generate offense without either Joel Embiid or Tyrese Maxey. Well, that stands to change now, and it did not take long before Jaylen Brown proved to everyone that he is out there to completely shatter that narrative, immediately showing out during the team's first preseason outing against the Knicks.
In just 17 minutes of gameplay, Brown notched 22 points on eight of 13 shots, draining three of his five three-pointers in the process. He led the team in scoring, easily manipulating and dictating the tempo of the game and showing that the 76ers will now have a completely new element to their attack that can be as equally as dominant as their mainstays.
Jaylen Brown gives the 76ers an entirely new dominant on-court attack
Paul George, who was the core of the return package for Brown, was the nominal third option for the 76ers over the last couple of years. While he had his moments, he largely struggled in that role, failing to turn in the kind of dominant play the team expected from him when forced into a bigger role on offense without one of Embiid or Maxey.
Brown cannot be any more different in that regard –– and it is pretty easy to see why. As the Finals MVP just a couple of years ago, he has ample experience doing the hard carrying for his team. Just last season, he was the main gunner for a Celtics team that still finished second in the East despite not having Jayson Tatum for almost the entire year.
Teams are not used to the 76ers not being solely reliant on their two mainstays. Brown is an offensive system by himself at this point, and that kind of dominant display of scoring prowess is just what the doctor ordered for Philly. With him in the fold, the coaching staff can rest easy knowing the team is not exactly helpless on the scoring front with someone as capable as Brown leading the charge.
It is just one preseason game, but the 76ers can surely afford to overreact to Brown's brilliant display. There is more than enough data to back their optimism, and beyond that, he has more than enough juice to be the first option on this team despite being a newcomer –– the kind of player who can take over all by himself.
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