He Was Just MISUNDERSTOOD...

Jalen Brown has been a lightning rod of a personality long before he landed in Philadelphia, but so much of the talking points at the early stages of the season have been driven about what his level of buy-in will be on this star-studded Sixers roster. Well, the former Finals MVP had a couple notable quotes that I think speak far more volumes about who he is as a human being and a member of the Sixers roster. And anything that wants to be pushed out there from the Boston media directly. Yeah, that's right. All we hear in Philadelphia is about this guy's going to be a problem. This guy's going to want to be the guy. And I do think the point in why Jalen Brown has been frustrated with his exit from the Celtics directly has been completely missed by a significant portion of the fan base. This is not a Jason Tatum versus Jalen Brown debate. This is a Jalen Brown feeling disrespected by the organization that he gave it all to for a decade. And when you want to talk about embracing his role on a team, it sounds a little bit like this, as what he said following the most recent victory over the Chicago Bulls is Jalen Brown said, quote, Maxie's been leading the way 100 percent. He's been here. This is his team. That, to me, does not sound like a guy that is eager to step into the driver's seat of a team, to be disruptive to an organization, to do whatever it takes to make sure you're the headline act. That is not who Jalen Brown is as a basketball player, despite the way that it was betrayed by many in the Celtics media. To dive a little bit deeper on some quotes that I think are notable regarding Brown directly here, shout out to NBC Sports that I think did a nice job summing this up, because I've spoken a lot on this channel about my feelings about LeBron James on this team are so much about him being the adult in the room, that if we're to actually talk about the reason why the Sixers team has failed to get over the championship hump, I do not think the number one point is talent. I do not think talent is the biggest thing they've been lacking in preventing them from getting there. This is a team that has had some really talented rosters, some really clear opportunities to compete for a real title, but they haven't had the knowledge of how to win, the maturity in big moments to overcome these high-intensity opportunities, and Jalen Brown, to a lesser extent than LeBron, of course. is very valuable in changing that. Well, to highlight exactly what is said, I do want to pull up a couple quotes from his coach and teammates. The article from NBC Philly states, beyond his scoring, he helped the Sixers control the glass, move the ball within an offense that generated 23 assists during the first half, and supplied the physicality Nick Nurse expects from his team. Quote, the dude is tough and he wins, Nurse said. I'll take that all day long. The degree of difficulty on some of the shots that he was hitting is really amazing. I thought he pounded the glass and got some key rebounds. Makes a lot of winning plays. Man, he's a winner. Brown spent the first 10 years of his career in Boston. He won a championship there, reached another NBA Finals, and grew from a 20-year-old prospect into one of the league's premier two-way wings. Moving to a new system alongside Joel Embiid and Maxie was never going to be seamless. Quote, I mean, he's fitting in along with all of us, James said. We're getting better and better. It's not going to happen overnight. He spent his first 10 years in a system in Boston, in the city, so it's going to take some adjustment. It takes some adjustment for him. It's going to take some adjustment for the rest of the guys that joined the franchise as well. But tonight was a great step. James pointed to Brown's pressure, his shot-making ability, his rebounding ability, and his professionalism. Brown's early influence has extended beyond his production, but before I dive into here, I do love the notion of sort of how under-talked about it is, what a unique system that the Celtics do play, especially when looking at the production last year, which of course, it should not be forgotten that Jalen Brown finished sixth in the league in MVP voting, was very clearly one of the best players in the entire sport, which many of the Celtics media were thrilled to throw on you. Frankly, at the time, I was arguing that that would have been my MVP vote for the season. And the reason that is the case is he was really the only reliable creator on that team. And the entire Celtics system was built upon him attacking the glass. And everyone else sprang three-point shots from the perimeter. Miss me with Derek White, who was an impact player. Miss me with Peyton Pritchard, who was good enough to scale up his role. The Jalen Brunson type leap that they expected going into the season, which was asinine at the time and looks even worse now. And Derek White, who's played his way into one of the more underrated to one of the more overrated players in the league, based on what the caliber of role he's actually capable of doing. Is Derek White a good player? Absolutely. Is he a guy that he has any business being in all-star conversations or could be on a winning basketball team if he's asked to be a legitimate contributing star on it? Absolutely not. But to bring it back to Jalen Brown, the article continues on to state about his professionalism. The Sixers entered Monday with one of the NBA's best half-court defenses. Brown has been one of the group's most persistent voices, stressing communication, preparation, and attention to opposing players' tendencies. That's the part that I care about the most as a group, not individually, Brown said. Having a mentality night in and night out, respecting your opponent, respecting the game, making sure that we are executing our coverages, we're being clear on our communication, and then we're also taking away tendencies on a night-to-night basis. Those things I just explained are over 50% of the battle. Brown understands that maintaining those details across an 82-game schedule will require more than reminders. Quote, a little bit of accountability, he said. You learn different guys require different things. How you communicate with each guy may be a little bit different, but accountability for sure and confrontation if need be. The offense is going to be what it's going to be, but our defense has got to be non-negotiable. That's something I say all the time, non-negotiable. You want to be a good team? Defense is non-negotiable. The Sixers showed both sides of their defensive potential on Monday. And to this point, across the board, the Sixers have been so far ahead of expectations on what any fair scale could be through eight games in the season at this stage. But defensively, that is especially the case, man. I mean, this is a team that entering yesterday was second in the league defensive rating, second in opponent's points allowed. I did not have a chance to check the stats today. But the fact that they are capable of providing that level of resistance is ridiculous. My belief going into the season is that this is absolutely going to be an elite offense and they should be good enough defensively. It's been the inverse of that. They've been an elite defensive team, and that speaks to the level of buy-in and commitment on this roster. Guys like Joel Embiid, turning back the clock, willing to contest at the rim, show shades of the rim protector that he was at the start of his career. LeBron James buying in on that side of the floor, beyond what has been the case throughout the past couple of seasons. Everyone is competing and getting it. Tyrese Maxey, another defensive leap, and Jalen Brown being the guy willing to set the tone, be a little confrontational, hold guys accountable, is so valuable to guys like Joel Embiid directly. Now, to continue on the final part of this article, it finishes off by stating, quote, I don't like that we have that. It's good that we have shown the potential, but we've got to keep that switch on. It doesn't work like that where you get to just flip the switch. It can catch up to us and can bite us against a better team. We're on a night where we're not going to be as crisp on offense. It can't be a switch just because we're playing a lesser opponent or whatever the case may be. We've got to make sure that mentally is from the beginning to end. Can't skip any steps. The urgency accompanies considerable optimism. Brown said the Sixers enjoy playing together. He loves when James grabs a rebound because, quote, He's like a quarterback, capable of launching an outlet pass or immediately pushing the pace. The group is learning when to attack, when to move the ball, and how to avoid hesitating in its effort to play unselfishly. Quote, it's a lot of talent, man, Brown said. We like each other, and we're just kind of building that chemistry of how we can get this thing to a well-oiled machine. I think we're taking steps forward every single night. The Sixers are 7-1, despite Brown believing those steps remain incomplete. They have won close games, erased sizable deficits, and received important contributions from different players. Brown's performance Monday showed another version of how their pieces can fit. Quote, we still have a long way to go. To being a really, really solid, great team, Brown said. But we've been able to win some games. We started out the season 7-1, and you haven't seen our best version of yet. That's a good sign. And I love the mentality. I love the leadership. And I love everything about the way that he is carrying himself. This is the Jalen Brown that I expected. And to just, you know, wax poetically about Jalen Brown a little bit, he's always been a guy that I just respected on the other side. And this is not to make this a Jason Tatum versus Jalen Brown thing. But the thing that I do think is true is there's something about his will to win and sort of his hard-headed level of competitiveness that I can't help but have respect for, and especially to contrast that with some of the guys that have come and gone through Philadelphia. Who largely don't want to step into the shoes, don't want the spotlight. The Ben Simmons of the world, the James Harden of the world, the Paul Georges of the world. Jalen Brown's the guy who wants all the smoke, man. He wants to step to the center of it. And I do not think you can have too many guys like that. There will be the nights where Jalen Brown takes over, and there will be the nights where he's a little bit frustrating. I don't think we've seen the best version of Jalen Brown to start this season just yet. But the impact that he's making is well beyond just the stat sheet. The culture in Philadelphia has changed, and he's a major part of that. There is accountability. There is a team that suits up, that gives full-out effort from start to finish, and ultimately, the Sixers are only going to be better than that in the long haul. Cannot wait to see what the season has for the rest of the Sixers team, but I am confident that Jalen Brown is a major part of it. There will be bumps in the road. It's not going to all be, you know, 7-1 start. They may not go 81-1, as impressive as it may be, but ultimately... I can't be more impressed with how this team is collectively as a unit, and I do think Jalen Brown has been an unsung hero in the entire vision to this point. We'll see how the rest of the year does go, but I'm not worried that there will be some slippage. I'm not worried that there will be some growth in ego from Jalen Brown. I think he was largely miscast, felt disrespected, and was happy to get a clean slate here in Philadelphia, the place where the underappreciated tend to get appreciated a little bit more. Shout out to you guys for tuning into this video. As always, if you guys have not just yet, make sure you smash that subscribe button to the channel. Drop a like on this video, give me your thoughts in the comments, and I'll be back talking to you next time, right here on Sixers Digest. Peace.