It appears there’s already trouble in paradise, as 76ers star Jimmy Butler has somehow managed to get into it with two NBA head coaches in the same season.
Butler was lucky to have been traded out of Minnesota — to a legitimate playoff contender, no less — and not only does he not seem grateful, but he’s already complaining about his role in the offense. That’s actually tough to fathom, and yet that’s exactly what happened.
He has apparently “aggressively” challenged head coach Brett Brown, and his future in Philadelphia could already be in jeopardy.
Reporting with @ramonashelburne: Philadelphia’s Jimmy Butler has aggressively challenged coach Brett Brown on All-Star’s role in 76ers offense, complicating an already-tenuous chemistry among team’s Big 3 hierarchy. Story on ESPN. https://t.co/DYqEAZNzM1
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 4, 2019
It’s hard to understand exactly what Butler’s expectations were going in, as with Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, JJ Redick and others on the roster, it’s not like Butler is going to get up 30 shots per game. Playing for a legitimate contender prevents ball-dominant, volume scorers such as Butler to dominant the offensive possessions, but that had to have been known going in.
And, surprise surprise, the report states that Butler wanted more isolation.
Butler has expressed a desire to teammates that he hopes to play in more traditional pick-and-roll and isolation sets, rather than trying to find his place in the Sixers free-flowing offense, league sources said.
Butler’s sluggish assimilation into the Sixers environment is causing some concern about his long-term viability and fit with the organization, league sources said.
The trade deadline is still more than six weeks away. It would be crazy if Butler could somehow be on three rosters in the same season. Stay tuned.
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