The honeymoon phase isn't exactly over for the Philadelphia 76ers. How could it be? They're 6-1, so there's not really much to complain about from their end when they're on top. But what's been somewhat telling to start is that among the Boston Celtics alumni who have joined them, Anfernee Simons has been more vital to their success than Jaylen Brown.
Brown hasn't been bad overall, but he's had his bad games for the Sixers - note that Paul George, by comparison, has not fostered many complaints from Boston, if any at all - but when the going has gotten tough in recent games, Simons has been the one to come through more often for Philadelphia than Brown has.
He hasn't been their best player, and, oh yeah, his individual defense is still pretty bad, but Simons has bailed their offense out when it has stagnated. Philadelphia has been winning most of their games, but only barely, with much of it being because they desperately needed Simons' shooting.
They've won their last three games, but only barely. It's been consistent five-point deficits when they are done. In fact, one of the primary reasons is that Simons has been red hot from three, which has effectively been the difference in their last three games.
By doing so, he has fit the role the Sixers wanted him to play. It's no surprise, given that he also proved useful in that role for the Celtics last year.
But where does that leave Brown?
It's early, and it's easy to be optimistic despite Brown's struggles. Philadelphia is still winning even though Brown isn't easing into his role as easily as many thought he would. The only issue is that the Celtics have seen this movie with Brown. He can put up flashy numbers when he can, but asking him to not only compromise but also subsidize his role is not something he can easily do.
He does better when his team wants more from him. He really started thriving when Boston gave him the biggest role they could, as the No. 2 guy for years, and even the No. 1 when Jayson Tatum went down. That's just not going to happen with Philadelphia. They may still be among the East's best, but Brown may not have much to do with it.
It's easy for someone like Simons to adapt to a role where the Sixers ask him to do something he can do: provide tertiary scoring and elite spacing. That's all they are asking him to do. They are asking Brown to provide tertiary scoring along with elite defense and spot-up from three, among other things, while letting their other players handle the lion's share of the scoring load.
Given that Brown has been asked to do more than that, it's no surprise that adjusting to this role is hard. If it doesn't get better, it doesn't mean he stinks or that he's overrated. It means he just can't thrive in the role the Sixers want him to. No one on the Celtics side is rooting for this to happen, but if it does, the response will be something like, "I told you so."
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