Jaylen Brown still feels like ‘the new guy,’ but is looking more at ease with the Sixers
Brown had perhaps his best game with the Sixers with 30 points and a big block late on Cade Cunningham in a win over Detroit.
DETROIT — Cade Cunningham was dribbling down the right wing as the Detroit Pistons were making a last-minute run against the 76ers.
Little Caesars Arena was as loud as it had been all night after the Pistons had cut the Sixers’ 18-point lead to four with less than 45 seconds to play on Wednesday.
The Sixers were in need of a play to stop the bleeding and secure what became a 112-106 victory. Enter Jaylen Brown. Amid the noise, Brown kept his cool, and made his way over to meet Cunningham on the right wing. The whole time he was focused on one thing.
“I could see Cade’s eyes,” Brown said. “He was shooting the ball.”
Brown, a scorer himself, knows that look. He kept a little distance from Cunningham so as not to foul, then, a game after Brown said he has been playing through some pain in his left knee and other parts of his lower body, he got up to block the shot.
“I didn’t want to foul, but I was able to make a play right there,” Brown said. “So that was it.”
It capped perhaps the best game of Brown’s tenure with the Sixers, who improved to 8-1 with a win over the only team that has defeated them.
Brown had 30 points on 11-for-19 shooting, with 23 coming in the first half when the Sixers built their lead.
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Weeks ago, Brown said he was still getting used to his new city after 10 years in Boston, and getting used to his new teammates. Nine games into the season, that hasn’t changed much, and he still feels like “the new guy.”
“Everything is new,” he said. “Everybody knows what it feels like when you just move into a new space and you’re unpacking. Kind of feels like that. Feels like that, on and off the court, just trying to get settled a little bit.”
Brown said Monday that the Sixers were Tyrese Maxey’s team, and he repeated how he was trying to complement what Maxey, VJ Edgecombe and Joel Embiid had started to build. But he was more in a starring role against the Pistons.
On the court, Brown’s adjustment has been “seamless,” Embiid said, and it looked that way, especially in the first half. Brown said the Sixers have started to figure out some of their spacing on offense. His touches and shots Wednesday came more within the flow of the offense.
Whether he was operating in isolation, getting the ball off screens, or finding gaps in the defense for his teammates to find him, Brown looked more at ease in the offense, even if he said it’s still a work in progress.
“Obviously, after spending so much time in one city, especially competing against this team the last, basically his whole career, it would be kind of different,” Embiid said Monday. “I don’t know how to say it, but it would take time to adjust a little bit. He’s come in, trying to do his job, trying to lead guys. He’s been great and we love having him.”
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Brown had to miss a recent win over the Knicks because of left patellar tendinopathy (jumper’s knee), but has played through soreness in the last three games. He also added he has dealt with pain in his Achilles and calf as well, and that has limited his athleticism.
“Looking forward to getting that pop back in my step, so I can explode and take off,” Brown said. “I haven’t been as athletic as I would like to start the season.”
It was hard to notice that on the Cunningham block. Since training camp, Brown has been steadfast in saying that the team’s commitment to defense had to be “non-negotiable.” Through nine games, the Sixers have the second highest defensive rating in the league. Mission accomplished there. He has also been happy with the Sixers’ start to the season, since in his eyes, the first 10 games can set a team on the wrong or right path.
“I’ve been in the league for a long time,” Brown, 30, said. “It’s my 11th year. First 10 games, it can [set] the tone for your year. Now we still got a lot of basketball to play even after the first 10 games. But it’s always good to get off to a good start, and 8-1 is pretty damn good.”
Even with Brown not at full health and still not fully adjusted in his new home.
“It’s early in the season, but I’ll keep leveling up,” Brown said.
Inquirer beat reporters Gina Mizell and Chris Hine go behind the scenes of covering LeBron James, Jaylen Brown and the Sixers’ star-studded roster, and debate what’s real and not real about the team’s hot start. Watch here.
Watch the full interview below and subscribe to the Sixers Extra podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
