Getty Philadelphia 76ers guard Jimmy Butler
Between the actual drama, the drama which is somewhat overexaggerated and everything in between, Jimmy Butler’s tenure with the Philadelphia 76ers has been interesting. But beyond that, and even more important than it, his stretch in the City of Brotherly Love has been something else – a success.
The Sixers currently sit with a 30-16 record, leaving them the same number of games back in the Eastern Conference as the No. 3 seed Indiana Pacers. Headlined by the star trio of Butler, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, Philadelphia has quickly proven to be in the mix as a contender. They may be just behind the Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks currently, but the arrow is pointing up.
Proof of that comes from an interesting stat provided by Josh Schrager, who points out that the Sixers are 21-10 since Butler’s first game, a record which is fourth-best in the league.
76ers have the 4th best record in the NBA since acquiring Jimmy Butler.
They are 21-10 since his first game on November 14.
For good measure, that record is equally as impressive when removing the four games Butler was sidelined for. The team went 2-2 in separate stretches without the All-Star guard, leaving them with a 19-8 record with him in the lineup.
This impressive run has helped the Sixers put together the sixth-best win percentage to this point in the year, ahead of all but two Western Conference teams.
Jimmy Butler’s Tenure With Sixers
Although it hasn’t always been drama-free (as previously mentioned), Butler is averaging 19.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.9 steals per game with his new team. He’s also shooting a career-best 48.4 percent from the field and 40.3 percent from beyond the arc. His shot attempts are down to 14.1 per game from 15.6 last season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, but he’s getting the job done in a variety of ways.
The numbers haven’t been bad, but most importantly, they’re translating into victories. Butler’s concerns with Sixers coach Brett Brown’s system could prove to be an issue in the long term, but as they say, winning cures all and that’s been true for the most part thus far.
The Jimmy Butler-Brett Brown Situation
While Butler’s tenure with the Timberwolves ended in fairly ugly fashion, it led to the interaction he reportedly had with Brown creating some major concern. The situation began with a report from ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski in which they stated that Butler challenged Brown about his role in the offense.
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Jimmy Butler has aggressively challenged coach Brett Brown on his role in the offense, complicating an already tenuous chemistry among the team’s Big 3 hierarchy, league sources told ESPN.
It was also said that Butler was “disrespectful” towards the coach during a film session earlier this year. For what it’s worth, Brown did state that the 29-year-old guard didn’t cross any lines and that he would have dealt with the situation if he had, as Keith Pompey of the Philly Inquirer reported.
Butler hasn’t seemed to have any issue with teammates or even a problem with Brown, so it’s unfair to say that there are issues currently ongoing with the team. And as long as wins continue to come and the team takes steps forward, there’s little reason to believe more drama will come on the horizon.
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