Jaylen Brown will enter a Philadelphia 76ers locker room that already features several prominent personalities, championship expectations and an increasingly urgent timeline surrounding Joel Embiid. While Brown’s fit alongside Embiid could produce some initial friction, one insider believes Philadelphia has seen this type of partnership work before.
“But Brown is a lot like Jimmy Butler was, as a player and person, in 2018, and that was the best team Embiid has been a part of,” The Athletic’s Tony Jones wrote. “The relationship between those two will be one to watch.”
The comparison connects Brown to one of Embiid’s favorite former teammates. Butler spent part of the 2018-19 season in Philadelphia after a turbulent ending with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Questions followed him to the 76ers, especially regarding how his forceful personality would mesh with Embiid and Ben Simmons.
Butler and Embiid quickly answered those concerns. Philadelphia advanced to Game 7 of its second-round series against the Toronto Raptors before Kawhi Leonard’s memorable corner shot bounced through the basket. Toronto eventually won the championship.
Butler left Philadelphia for Miami after that season, but Embiid made it clear in 2019 that he wanted their partnership to continue.
Joel Embiid Wanted Jimmy Butler to Stay in Philly
During a 2019 appearance on ESPN’s “The Jump,” Embiid described Butler’s departure as a significant setback. He explained that they had developed a close relationship and continued communicating after Butler left, per NBC.
Embiid called Butler his “brother forever” and said he wished Philadelphia had kept him. Their connection extended beyond friendship. Embiid trusted Butler with the ball during important fourth-quarter situations and believed he could depend on him when games tightened.
That history gives Jones’ Brown comparison greater significance. Brown, like Butler, will arrive with a strong personality, high expectations and no hesitation about challenging those around him.
Jones described Brown as another alpha joining a roster filled with them. He also noted that Philadelphia shifted toward becoming Tyrese Maxey’s locker room during the previous season, potentially providing a clearer leadership structure for Brown to enter.
Brown’s intelligence and self-awareness could help him find his place without diminishing his competitive approach. He also brings championship experience and has won Finals MVP, qualities Jones believes could benefit the organization even if Maxey remains its primary leader.
The central concern involves Brown’s relationship with Embiid. The two have not always appeared friendly as opponents, but Philadelphia now needs them to channel their intensity toward a shared goal.
Jaylen Brown Could Reshape the 76ers’ Identity
Brown should also influence how Philadelphia plays. The Athletic’s Jay King noted that Brown regularly pushed Boston to operate at a quicker tempo. The 76ers now have Brown, Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, three ballhandlers capable of creating opportunities in open space.
King expects Philadelphia to give that group freedom earlier in possessions. However, the team must establish a pace that also accommodates Embiid.
Touch distribution presents another challenge. King noted that Brown finished second in usage rate during the previous season, while Maxey ranked 15th. Embiid did not play enough games to qualify, but he also would have placed near the league leaders. Each star will need to surrender some offensive control for the combination to work.
Philadelphia’s championship outlook still revolves around Embiid’s availability. King believes the 76ers possess enough talent to compete for a title if circumstances favor them, especially after changes elsewhere in the Eastern Conference.
Jones went even further, declaring that Philadelphia now owns a championship ceiling regardless of whether its pursuit of LeBron James succeeds. Brown and Maxey could carry more of the regular-season burden, but Jones maintained that the 76ers need a healthy Embiid to win the title.
Brown’s arrival gives Philadelphia another proven scorer, a demanding locker-room presence and someone who understands the work behind a championship run. His personality could cause tense moments, but the Butler comparison offers Embiid a familiar blueprint.
The clock surrounding Embiid’s pursuit of a title continues to move. Brown will carry his own motivation into Philadelphia. If those two personalities connect as Embiid and Butler once did, the 76ers could become as dangerous as their roster looks on paper.
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