Photo: Peter Baba

Jaylen Brown is entering his first season with the Philadelphia 76ers after a blockbuster offseason trade from Boston, and he is already focused on the work required to make the team’s new core function. Brown said the process begins well before the regular season, with practices and film sessions providing the foundation for Philadelphia’s championship push.

“I’m looking forward to every part of the journey, every practice, film session but honestly the journey kind of starts now,” Brown said. “It doesn’t happen overnight where you can just roll the ball out there and guys are gonna be successful. It takes a lot of work.”

The 76ers acquired Brown from the Celtics on July 6 in exchange for Paul George, two unprotected first-round picks and two second-round selections. The trade gives Philadelphia a new three-man foundation of Brown, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and LeBron James after the team finished 45-37 and seventh in the Eastern Conference during the 2025-26 regular season.

Maxey led Philadelphia with 28.3 points and 6.6 assists per game while shooting 46.2% from the field and 36.7% from three. Embiid averaged 26.9 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 38 games, but his limited availability remains a major variable for a team that has committed to competing around its three stars.

Brown’s arrival changes the offensive balance around Maxey and Embiid. Philadelphia lost George, who averaged 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 37 games last season, but Brown provides another high-level scorer who can attack the basket, create in the mid-range and operate without dominating possessions.

The 76ers also added Anfernee Simons on a two-year, $12.3 million contract and Dean Wade on a four-year, $39 million deal. Those additions are intended to provide additional shooting and lineup flexibility around Brown, Maxey and Embiid.

Brown emphasized that talent alone will not determine whether the new group succeeds.

“I’m not losing sleep, but every single day, another day goes by where I’m not thinking about how I can help my team and help my teammates and kinda make this thing work,” Brown said.

Philadelphia’s 2025-26 season ended in the second round, where the 76ers were swept by the eventual Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks.

Brown said he believes the opportunity is there, but the team’s success will depend on building the necessary chemistry.

“We got a lot of talent, we got a great opportunity and I wanna make it work,” Brown said.