Getty Images Jimmy Butler's final game with the Timberwolves.
Nobody expected Jimmy Butler to have a hard time fitting in with the Philadelphia 76ers. Unless you know, you are a fan of the Chicago Bulls or the Minnesota Timberwolves. The guy who has been painted as a locker room villian over the last couple of years is going to finally get a fresh start after a hectic summer with the T’Wolves.
On Tuesday, Butler was introduced to the Sixers media and fan base, and Philly immediately fell in love with their city’s newest superstar. Butler said all the right things and came off as a hard-working, blue-collar mentality player that just wants to win championships. And if he has to be a smack talker, or give you the raw truth, then so be it.
The national media may be skeptical about how Butler would fit in with the team, but so far everything has gone well. Sixers superstars Joel Embiid, and Ben Simmons did their homework on Butler, and apparently, they liked what they have heard from his former teammates.
As the Sixers traveled to Orlando, Florida for their matchup with the Magic, Embiid and Simmons made it a priority to get to know their newest teammate. And Sixers head coach Brett Brown enjoyed the sight of the three stars bonding at team dinner.
Brett Brown Liked What He Saw
Brett Brown: “I’m at the team dinner last night, and I look two tables over and see Jimmy sitting between Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. … That’s a different sight.”
Soon, everybody will get to see how this ‘bonding moment’ translates to the basketball court. It was announced on Wednesday morning that Butler will automatically be inserted into the Sixers starting lineup along with Simmons and Embiid. As the Sixers lacked an established veteran who can take the team to the next level, they finally got him in Butler.
Now, Embiid and Simmons are wasting no time trying to get the chemistry right. Without Dario Saric and Robert Covington in the picture, the Sixers will have to work on their ball movement on the floor and make sure that they can get everything to work out quickly. Once they establish chemistry, the Eastern Conference surely should be on the lookout for the Sixers.