Jaylen Brown no longer fit in Boston, but the Sixers want him to be himself in Philadelphia

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PHILADELPHIA, Pa — A typically stoic Jaylen Brown couldn’t help but break character on Thursday night.

He had just scored six points down the stretch to help extend a lead first claimed by Joel Embiid while Embiid rested in the final minutes of the Sixers’ home opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Philadelphia suddenly held a seven-point advantage after trailing by as many as 29 in the first half.

When Brown fit a 10-foot jumper perfectly into the hoop over Sam Merrill, the first-year Sixer cracked a smile.

It was, in some ways, fit that got Brown exiled from the only NBA home he’d ever known this past summer, which led him to Philadelphia to begin with.

The Boston Celtics wanted the ball in Jayson Tatum’s hands, a reduction in role they evidently felt they couldn’t ask Brown to accept. Not after he led them to 56 wins in the regular season while Tatum, his long-time running mate, rehabilitated a torn achilles.

They weren’t about to palliate any ill will Brown might’ve felt by offering him a new contract after dangling him in trade talks for Giannis Antetokounmpo.

So he no longer fit with the franchise for whom he ended a 16-year championship drought, earning Finals MVP honors to boot.

The Celtics’ decision was something Brown was still trying to come to grips with over a month later as he fielded questions from media at his introductory press conference at the Francis J. Myers Recreation Center in Philadelphia.

Brown has given every indication that he’s focused on the present, eager to write this next chapter in Philadelphia.

The Celtics wanted a better fit, both in terms of finances and coexistence with their chosen star. The Sixers, suddenly led by Mike Gansey, wanted to rejuvenate a franchise that appeared stuck and a fanbase that was checking out.

It resulted in the Celtics trading Brown to Philadelphia in exchange for Paul George and some draft picks.

Sure, the deal upgraded Philadelphia’s talent and athleticism. It injected youth into a roster pillared with stars on the wrong side of 30 and long injury histories on top of that.

But George was, in theory, a superb fit for any Embiid-Tyrese Maxey iteration of the Sixers. Of course, that would assume an ecosystem in which Maxey is run into the ground as a lead guard and Embiid is the focal point whenever he’s on the court. George could float around off the ball, launching catch-and-shoot threes and scaling up to being Maxey’s Robin when Embiid isn’t available.

But the Sixers couldn’t live in that ecosystem. Not when every day that Embiid steps onto the court is considered a blessing.

As smooth as George’s shooting is, as pristine as his instincts are as a team defender, Father Time is undefeated. So, you see him launch a contested long two from time to time, with the veteran wing no longer able to break down any and every defender in his way. You see him leave a layup dangling in the air at the rim, the explosion to finish a drive with a dunk often escaping him.

He’s still a good player. We can quibble about whether he’s still a very good player.

But the Sixers need the athletic pop supporting Maxey as long as Embiid is on the team.

So no, Brown isn’t the best catch-and-shoot guy along the wings. Yes, he misses passing reads because he takes a second too long thinking about scoring when a more polished playmaker would’ve already gotten off the rock. He’ll never have the smoothest control of the ball with either hand. He will likely always madden you with his awareness as an off-ball defender.

They don’t need him to be a younger version of George. They don’t need him to be perfect. They need Brown to be the hyper-athletic freight train with a fearless trigger and a brick wall of a one-on-one defender against guards and wings; the guy he’s always been as he’s ascended to stardom.

“Joel said it best,” Maxey said after the season-opening victory in New York against the Knicks. “We did a good job of just being ourselves a couple of times out there. There was a couple times with JB in that third quarter when he was just himself, and we needed it.”

The Sixers don’t want him sacrificing anything. That’s partially because the straw that still stirs their drink rejects it as a fundamental concept.

“I think the way I explained it is, do what you do best, and we’re going to support you. I don’t really believe in sacrifice. I believe in JB and letting him do what he does best,” Embiid said during the preseason.

“I believe in Tyrese pushing him and letting him do what he does best,” he continued. “Bron, VJ, everybody in this locker room. Like, ‘Hey man, we got your back. Good, bad shot, just make the right play over and over. Let’s play together.’

“So, yeah. I don’t believe in that concept. I don’t think anybody has to take any backseat. If you got a shot, wide open layup, do what you do best. We got your back and then we’ll go from there.”

While Brown may never be known as a marksman from long range the way George will be, there is quite a lot to be said about Brown’s ability to use force to get into the paint and manufacture shots, for himself and others — the piece of George’s game that faded before he even arrived in Philadelphia.

“Well, he's obviously a very good, skill one-on-one player, but if he can do it again when we’re on the move a little bit rather than into the teeth of a set defense, I think that just can open up even more things for him,” Nick Nurse said after Saturday’s victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.

“I would like him to crack the paint even more in transition because I think that's just going to get him to the free throw line,” Nurse added. “It's going to get him to the front of the rim. There'll start being some kickouts available, and I think we're just kind of trying to learn him in this role a little bit, and he's trying to learn it a little bit, too.”

This whole thing is a work in progress for everyone involved. The season is one week old. But Brown is approaching this new world patiently. Most importantly for Philadelphia, he’s leaving his résumé behind.

“I'm still figuring it out. It's going to take some time. You know, just trying to earn trust from my teammates, earn trust from my coaching staff, and those moments continue to build up,” Brown told reporters after team’s thrilling victory against the Cavaliers.

“I feel like I can make plays for my team,” he said. “I'm a winning player, so whatever it takes for us to win, that's what I'm willing to do.”

As Brown released his emotions facing his new home crowd while the discombobulated Cavaliers retreated to their bench, there was no question that he fit.

Because he was helping the Sixers win a basketball game.