41-year-old future Hall of Famer explained why Philadelphia appealed to him. Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown mattered. But so did the possibility of helping Embiid accomplish the one thing missing from his résumé: winning an NBA championship.

That makes Embiid the emotional center of this Sixers experiment.

But Jaylen Brown might be the basketball center of it.

This isn’t simply LeBron joining Embiid.

It’s LeBron, Embiid, Brown and Maxey trying to figure out how four players who are accustomed to being major pieces of an offense can become one championship machine.

Jaylen Brown Is More Important Than the LeBron Headlines Suggest

Headlines naturally belong to LeBron.

He’s LeBron.

But Brown’s arrival is just as important.

Philadelphia traded for Brown before signing LeBron, meaning the organization had already decided it needed another elite two-way player alongside Embiid and Maxey.

Brown isn’t coming to Philadelphia to simply stand in the corner while everyone else creates.

Last season, Brown averaged a career-high 18.7 isolation possessions per 100 possessions, while his playoff usage rate was 32.5% the same as Embiid’s.

Brown has spent years proving he can be a primary option. He also knew when to let Jason Tatum cook in Boston

LeBron Gives Embiid Something He Has Never Really Had

For years, Philadelphia’s championship hopes have essentially started and ended with Embiid’s ability to dominate.

If Embiid played like an MVP, the Sixers had a chance.

LeBron can organize an offense.

Maxey can create.

Brown can attack mismatches, defend elite wings and carry an offense.

Can Brown, Embiid and Maxey make the necessary sacrifices to create better shots for one another?

That’s where Brown becomes so important.

Brown Doesn’t Have to Be the Third Option

When teams load up on LeBron, Brown can punish the rotation.

When Maxey needs help creating offense, Brown can go get a bucket.

And defensively, Brown gives Nick Nurse another elite option on the perimeter.

That’s why his fit matters more than his scoring average.

Brown himself has already acknowledged that offense shouldn’t be the biggest concern because of how much talent Philadelphia has.

He has emphasized communication, defensive coverages and accountability as the areas that require the most work.

That’s an important distinction.

This team isn’t trying to discover whether it has enough talent.

It is trying to discover whether all that talent can coexist.

And That’s Where Embiid Comes Back Into the Story

LeBron isn’t 28 anymore.

Brown isn’t coming off the bench.

Maxey isn’t going backward.

If Philadelphia is going to win a championship, Embiid still has to be great.

The difference is that he doesn’t have to be everything.

That might be the most important change of all.

Embiid entered training camp healthy enough to participate fully, something Nick Nurse described as very good news. He also looked noticeably more mobile during Saturday’s public scrimmage, while developing early chemistry with LeBron.

Brown knows what postseason pressure feels like.

He knows what it means to be targeted.

He knows what it takes to survive a playoff series when every possession becomes a negotiation between talent, discipline and toughness.

And now he’s bringing that experience to Philadelphia.

Philadelphia Has Waited Long Enough

The Sixers haven’t won an NBA championship since 1983, 43 years of waiting.

But if Philadelphia actually gets there, don’t be surprised if Jaylen Brown is one of the biggest reasons why.

The question is whether those stars are willing to stop being everything individually so they can become something greater together.

Do you think Philly can win a championship with this new roster yjis season?