While there was an element of rust from the Golden State Warriors in their season opener against the L.A. Clippers on Sunday, that certainly wasn't the case for Jaylen Brown in his debut for the Philadelphia 76ers.
With LeBron James, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey on the sidelines, Brown took advantage of his increased offensive opportunity in the first-half against the reigning champion New York Knicks on Monday.
Jaylen Brown wastes no time showing Warriors what they missed out on
Brown had 22 points, two rebounds and two assists in less than 17 first-half minutes, shooting an efficient 8-of-13 from the floor and 3-of-5 from 3-point range in a high-scoring game between the two Eastern Conference contenders.
The former Finals MVP was shockingly traded to the 76ers at the start of free agency, with his addition helping to pave the way for James to reject the Warriors and other rivals to sign in Philadelphia as a free agent a few weeks later.
There's an alternate universe where it could have been Golden State who landed both James and Brown. The Warriors' pursuit of the 41-year-old was well chronicled over a number of weeks, but they also had conversations with the Boston Celtics over a Brown trade at the mid-season deadline, and around the time of the draft according to ESPN's Shams Charania.
Golden State ultimately weren't willing to give up potentially four first-round picks to secure Brown, along with relinquishing injured six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler who would have had to have been the matching salary in a deal.
Jaylen Brown could have taken pressure off Stephen Curry
Some of the offensive concerns leading into the season were well and truly evident for the Warriors in the preseason opener, including the lack of star power and over-reliance on a 38-year-old Stephen Curry entering year 18.
Brown may not see the same opportunity he saw on Monday against the Knicks once James, Maxey and Embiid return, but he would have with Golden State where he'd easily have been the second option and even the first on some night as they look to manage Curry through a long regular season.
The asking price was significant from the Celtics and you can understand why the Warriors were hesitant to pay it, but there will undoubtedly be times this season, particularly prior to Butler's return in January at the earliest, where they would love to have a player like Brown juicing up the offense.
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