Jaylen Brown's sharp 76ers debut a warning to the rest of NBA

Brown later threw in a crowd-pleasing breakaway slam dunk and a corner three off a designed play as Philadelphia built a 72-58 halftime lead.

As far as preseason debuts go, Brown's couldn't have gone much better.  He was a seamless fit next to VJ Edgecombe, raising anticipation for what the Sixers could look like at full strength, when guard Tyrese Maxey, center Joel Embiid and veteran-minimum forward (and all-time great) LeBron James are also in the lineup.

Last year, Philadelphia made an unexpected run to the Eastern Conference semis, erasing a 3-1 series deficit to the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs before running into the Knicks' buzzsaw in a second-round sweep.

With Maxey, who turns 26 on Nov. 4, entering his prime, Edgecombe coming off a promising rookie campaign and Embiid healthy after playing only 96 games the past three seasons, the Sixers already had a strong core before adding Brown and James in the offseason.

Monday was a tantalizing glimpse into what Brown will provide Philly, and it showed a player locked in and ready to send a message after being discarded by the Celtics.

Consider this the league's warning.