Film breakdown: How Jaylen Brown can become invaluable to Sixers offense

Film breakdown: How Jaylen Brown can become invaluable to Sixers offense originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Jaylen Brown is off to a hot start as a Sixer.

He’s led the team in scoring in its first two preseason games, notching 40 points across his 41 minutes on the court. The former Celtic has shot 59.1 percent from the floor, 50 percent from three-point range and 83.3 percent at the foul line.

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Brown has showcased the value he could bring to the Sixers and to Tyrese Maxey in particular this season.

Like he was for the Celtics in 2025-26, Brown was the go-to guy in the preseason opener while Maxey, LeBron James and Joel Embiid were inactive. All of his 22 points came in the first half as he consistently initiated the offense, repeatedly attacking in isolation and off ball screens.

The second game was a slightly different story as all five of the team’s projected starters suited up for the first time. Brown capitalized on great ball movement by James and Embiid with a dunk early in the first quarter. But he only took one more shot in the first stanza and didn’t score again until the 3:54 mark in the second.

Each of his remaining three baskets came with Maxey off the floor, perhaps giving Sixers fans a glimpse of what splitting the two scorers’ minutes could look like.

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Maxey was a workhorse for the Sixers last season. His 38 minutes per game led the league. With Embiid playing 38 regular season games and Paul George available for just 37, Nick Nurse relied heavily on Maxey to create offense. VJ Edgecombe pitched in here and there. But 2026-27 should be a different story.

With the potential for Embiid (who hasn’t played 40 or more games in a regular season since 2022-23) and James (who will turn 42 years old in December) to miss time, Brown’s presence can provide some meaningful relief for Maxey, especially given how Nurse wants the offense to run.

Under Nurse, the Sixers have been matchup hunters, subscribers to the weakest link theory. They spammed isolation ball in 2025-26, taking the second-most shots per game on isolation possessions in the NBA (9.3). On that high volume, the…

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Publish date : 2026-10-10 12:38:00

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