JAYLEN Brown

Brown's 2025-26 season with Boston was the most productive stretch of his career. He played 71 games and averaged 34.4 minutes. He scored 28.7 points per game and added 6.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.0 steal and 0.4 blocks. He shot 47.7 percent from the field, 34.7 percent from three and 79.5 percent at the line. His true shooting percentage was 57.3. His usage rate was 35.1, which means a large share of Boston's possessions ended with him. That workload came with 3.6 turnovers per game. His plus-minus was 4.5. Those are last season's numbers with the Celtics, not this season's. They still show what Philadelphia traded for: a lead scorer who handles the ball a lot.

The October games have been uneven but encouraging. On Oct. 20 against New York, Brown had 19 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists in 34.9 minutes in a win. That was his most complete line so far. On Oct. 16 he faced Boston, his old team, and scored 20 points with 8 rebounds and 3 assists in 31.1 minutes. Philadelphia lost that game. On Oct. 8 against Brooklyn he scored 18 points in 23.8 minutes in a loss. Earlier, against New York, he scored 22 points in just 16.9 minutes in a win. The minutes are going up. The rebounding has picked up in the last two games he played. The scoring has stayed steady across every game he has suited up for.

Brown is not on the injury report. His only listing this month came on Oct. 10, when he was day-to-day for rest. He did not play that night against Boston and logged no minutes. He was cleared on Oct. 16 and played against the Celtics that same day, scoring 20 points in 31.1 minutes. Since then he has had no listing. The Oct. 10 absence was a rest day, not an injury. For a player who handled 34.4 minutes a night last season, managing his load early makes sense. Fans should watch the injury report before back-to-backs, but right now there is nothing on it for Brown.

Brown knows the 76ers well from the other bench. In late April and early May, while with Boston, he faced Philadelphia in a run of games. On April 24 he scored 25 points with 7 rebounds in 40.4 minutes in a Boston win. On April 26 he had 20 points in another win. Then Philadelphia took the next three. On April 28 he scored 22 points with 5 rebounds and 5 assists in 40.6 minutes. On April 30 he had 18 points in 28.5 minutes. On May 2 he scored 33 points with 9 rebounds and 4 assists in 40.0 minutes, but Boston lost again. That final stretch is the last look fans had of him before he joined the 76ers.

Brown's name has come up in the offseason notes columns. On Sept. 19, a Celtics notes column via Mike Prada covered Tatum, Brown, Stevens, Robinson and Conley. On Sept. 14, a Sixers notes column touched on Wade, Simons, Barlow, Edwards and the team's title hopes. Later Celtics notes, including one via Gary Washburn on Oct. 3, focused on George, Tatum, Mitchell, Pritchard and Mazzulla. None of these items changes where Brown plays. He is on the 76ers roster now. The talk around him has shifted from his exit from Boston to what Philadelphia can do with him. Treat anything in these columns as reporting, not as a done deal.