The Philadelphia 76ers assembled a roster with enough accomplished players to make a question about leadership inevitable. Jaylen Brown had no interest in answering it Monday.
Asked at media day who the team’s “alpha” would be — and whether the 76ers needed to figure that out — Brown replied, “Next question,” according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
Two words, and the conversation moved on. Brown did not name himself, LeBron James, Joel Embiid or Tyrese Maxey. He also did not explain why he passed on the question. What he left open is the question Philadelphia will have to answer on the court: How will four players accustomed to carrying an offense work together when it matters most?
Jaylen Brown Joins a 76ers Team Already Full of Leaders
Brown arrived from Boston in a July trade that sent Paul George and draft picks to the Celtics. The 2024 NBA Finals MVP averaged a career-high 28.7 points last season, proving he could handle a larger scoring burden. Philadelphia then signed James, pairing them with Embiid and Maxey.
Embiid has been the franchise’s centerpiece and remains its most imposing half-court scorer when healthy. Maxey has grown into an All-Star guard who can create offense at speed. Brown gives the 76ers a scorer and defender with a championship résumé.
Then there is James: the NBA’s career scoring leader, a four-time champion, regular-season and Finals MVP and a player who averaged 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists last season. Even at 41, he can control a game with his scoring and passing. Philadelphia did not bring him in merely to steady everyone else. It added another star capable of deciding a playoff game.
That abundance of talent demands choices about who initiates the offense, who plays without the ball and whose shot gets priority late in a close game. A media day answer would not settle any of it.
At his introductory news conference in August, Brown spoke about winning and sacrifice as he prepared to join his new teammates. His response Monday was shorter and less revealing, but it left the hierarchy for the team to work out together.
Philadelphia’s Championship Expectations Leave Little Time to Adjust
The 76ers are entering this season with expectations that reach beyond a promising regular season. VJ Edgecombe has called it “championship or bust,” and the arrivals of Brown and James have raised the stakes around Embiid’s health. As Embiid arrived at camp looking leaner, attention shifted toward how this group would fit once practice began.
Brown’s answer should not be mistaken for a declaration that the Sixers have a leadership problem. It was a refusal to settle a complicated basketball question with a label.
Training camp offers the first chance to see how the pieces fit. Games will provide the harder test, especially when an opponent takes away Philadelphia’s first option and someone else must take charge. Brown declined to pick that person on Monday. The Sixers will learn who steps forward soon enough.
Jaylen Brown Gives Two-Word Answer to 76ers’ ‘Alpha’ Question