Jaylen Brown announced himself quickly in a Philadelphia 76ers uniform on Monday, scoring 22 points in 17 minutes in a preseason game against the New York Knicks. He shot 8-for-13 from the field and hit three 3-pointers before halftime, giving the 76ers an immediate jolt in his first appearance for the team.
The debut mattered because it came while the 76ers were already shorthanded. Joel Embiid, LeBron James and Tyrese Maxey all sat out, leaving Brown to carry the offense early and often. For a team looking for answers when its top names are unavailable, that is the part that will stick.
Brown’s line also fits the kind of player he has been for years. Last season, he averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists, and the Celtics won 56 games with Jayson Tatum sidelined for most of the season. The scoring punch was real long before this debut, which is why his first night with the 76ers drew so much attention.
Still, there is no way around the caveat: it was only preseason. Brown looked sharp, but the test was short and the stakes were limited. Even so, he gave the 76ers a glimpse of how he can control a game when they need him to, while Ariel Hukporti’s night ended after five minutes with a scary-looking injury that left another question hanging over the game.
That is the split-screen coming out of Monday. Brown delivered the kind of first impression that can travel, but the real measure will come when the games count and when the 76ers learn whether Hukporti’s injury is something they can absorb or something they will have to plan around.
