Every player in the NBA has something to prove every single season.
However, some have more to prove than others.
Jaylen Brown Named Philadelphia 76ers Player With Most to Prove Next Season
GettyPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – AUGUST 6: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Philadelphia 76ers poses for a picture with his jersey at Francis J. Myers Recreation Center on August 6, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
When it comes to the Philadelphia 76ers, star forward Jaylen Brown has the most to prove next season, at least according to Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes, who recently listed the one player on every team in the league with the most to prove.
After spending the first decade of his career with the Boston Celtics, Brown will have to prove that he can contribute to winning at a high level elsewhere.
“Coming off a sixth-place finish in MVP voting and his second All-NBA nod, the five-time All-Star was suddenly being described by anonymous analytics staffers as ‘a seventh-best player on a team.’ . . . That particular take was ridiculous, but it encapsulated the idea that advanced analytics and on-off catch-alls didn’t see Brown as anything close to a star,” Hughes wrote.
“If Brown is overrated, it’s only in relation to his hefty salary, which will pay him an average of $62 million through 2028-29. This is one of those situations where the regular season may not matter as much as the playoffs. Brown’s believers (correctly) note that his skills as a tough-shot maker and individual wing defender matter most in the postseason. If he has a hand in getting Philadelphia to its first conference finals since 2001, Brown’s detractors will have to quiet down.”
Technically, it feels like Sixers star center Joel Embiid has more to prove than Brown, given the fact that Brown has already won a championship and been named Finals MVP while Embiid has never advanced past the second round of the postseason. But, they both have plenty to prove, as do the 76ers as a team. The Sixers might have the NBA’s most talented starting lineup on paper, but the group has to prove that they can come together as a unit to reach their full potential.
Jaylen Brown Will Enter 2026-27 Season With a Chip on His Shoulder
GettyMEMPHIS, TENNESSEE – MARCH 20: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics holds the ball at the top of the key in the first half against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum on March 20, 2026 in Memphis, Tennessee. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Matthew A. Smith/Getty Images)
After being discarded by Boston and traded to a direct rival, Brown will enter the ’26-27 season with an enormous chip on his shoulder. Brown should be majorly motivated to prove to the Celtics that they made a mistake by moving him, and he could end up turning in a monster season as a result.
New Addition Named Philadelphia 76ers Player With Most to Prove Next Season