Jaylen Brown spent 10 seasons with the Boston Celtics after arriving in the NBA. And for most of that time, the question was: who is the Celtics' true leader?
He spent years trying to prove the legitimacy of his talent alongside Jayson Tatum. When everyone pulled in the same direction, it eventually paid off with a title. And everyone seems to have already forgotten that he was the Finals MVP that year.
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That did not stop his front office from sacrificing Brown, however. He had just carried the team on his own in the absence of his co-leader, who had been sidelined by an Achilles injury, and had just enjoyed a season in which he was in the MVP conversation.
In fact, it was simply the best season of Brown's career. Yet the entire summer was devoted to making the case that trading him for a Paul George nearing the end of his career was a good deal.
That is probably free fuel for the next chapter of his career. He is now with the Philadelphia 76ers, with Tyrese Maxey as his second-in-command and two huge X-factors in Joel Embiid and LeBron James.
A four-star squad for a team hungry for a title, at the very least. But as in any organisation, there will have to be a clear leader, and that leader has to be Brown.
In terms of pure ability, as we saw last season, he is unquestionably a top-10 NBA player. But he will still have to keep sharing the spotlight. His level is well established; it is his leadership that will be dissected.
The final step to the top is probably the hardest. With so many great players around him, he is unlikely to win MVP - at least not this season. But he has the chance to remind everyone that he is no ordinary player.
2025/26 stats: 28.7 points on 47.7% shooting, including 34.7% from three-point range, 5.1 assists and 6.9 rebounds (71 games)
Reasonable 2026/27 target: 30 points, All-NBA First Team candidate
