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Philadelphia 76ers: No, Jimmy Butler isn’t a perfect fit on the Lakers

By Matty Breisch

(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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Jimmy Butler is a much better fit with the Philadelphia 76ers than the Los Angeles Lakers, no matter what case Max Kellerman tries to make to the contrary.

Jimmy Butler is a great NBA player, but he’s hardly a plug-‘n-play starter who can seamlessly fit into any scheme – just ask the Philadelphia 76ers.

Butler is greedy, a ball hog, and relentless in his commitment to giving max effort for 48 minutes a night. If Butler isn’t getting enough touches he’ll let you know – just ask Brett Brown – and if Butler feels like he isn’t getting maximum effort from his teammates, he’ll let you, his coaches, and the rest of the world know – just ask Karl-Anthony Towns.

So despite being one of the top-25 or so players in the NBA, Butler has to be in the right scheme with the right coaches to really maximize his unique style of play.

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The Los Angeles Lakers don’t subscribe to that philosophy.

And yet, on Monday’s edition of ESPN’s First Take, that’s what Max Kellerman proposed, much to the chagrin of Philly favorite, and ex-Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Stephen A. Smith.

First the argument: Butler is a perfect fit because he can be a secondary ball handler when LeBron James is on the bench, he can cover the opposing team’s best player on the defensive end of the court, and would be fine being the third option on offense.

That player does sound like a great fit slotted in next to James and Anthony Davis, but he isn’t Jimmy Butler.

Why? Well, let’s break it down point by point, shall we?

Is Butler a solid secondary ball handler? Yes, but in a shooting guard sort of way, not like a point guard. Last season, Butler averaged about four assists a game with the 76ers – his lowest average since 2015. While he did play the role admirably in the postseason when Ben Simmons went to the bench, relying on Butler as a lead guard in the regular season for 82 games is woefully misguided.

And what about Butler’s defense? Well, Mr. Kellerman is wrong about that too.

When the 76ers traded for Butler back in November, many assumed the four-time All-Defense guard/forward would immediately slot in and at the very least fill Robert Covington‘s role as the team’s top defender, if not serve as an upgrade over the ‘Process’-favorite.

That didn’t really happen.

Sure, Butler was still Philly’s best defender, but he wasn’t able to take on scorers one-on-one at the top of the key like RoCo, forcing Brown to become a little too switch-happy on the defensive end of the court. While switching has become more and more the rule in the NBA, it only becomes genuinely bulletproof when all five players on the court are defensively capable.

When J.J. Redick switches onto pretty much any player one-on-one, you’re going to be in trouble.

Now Butler could be a great defender when surrounded by players like Davis and James (depending on who you place at the point), but he’s hardly Deion Sanders on the defensive end of the court (and in the NBA very few players are).

And last, but certainly not least we get to arguably the weakest part of Kellerman’s argument: Butler’s potential role in LA.

Jimmy Butler does not want to be a third option on any team.

Butler is a shooting guard in every sense of the word; a player solely interested in scoring the ball (his nickname is Jimmy Buckets after all). Sure, Brown put the ball in Butler’s hands in the postseason because he wanted to play big and keep things aggressive, but don’t pretend it wasn’t also to keep the 29-year-old happy with his role.

If Butler isn’t happy with his role, he’s going to let you know, as Brett Brown (allegedly) found out at a January film session in Portland.

If Butler sticks around in Philadelphia, it will be because of a commitment to keeping him an active part of the team’s offense. No matter how much a pairing of Butler, James, and Davis would be enticing on paper – Butler serving as something of a mix between Dwyane Wade‘s role in Miami and Kyrie Irving‘s role in Cleveland – that’s likely not what would happen if he took his talents to LA. No, Butler would more likely be forced to perch on the wings as a spot up shooter (a role he isn’t amazing at) and only get fleeting chances to run the show in the 12-14 minutes a night that James spends on the bench.

Who knows if Butler would even be excited about playing with an aging James, who very noticeably takes time off in the regular season. We could have another Andrew Wiggins situation, albeit one with a much more talented, powerful foe.

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Ultimately, we won’t know where Jimmy Butler ends up landing in free agency until June 30th at 6 pm (EST) when the market opens up, but if the choice is between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers, it’s hard to see a reason why Mr. Buckets would pick the later, despite Max Kellerman’s best efforts to make his adoptive favorite team better.