Philadelphia 76ers: How Jimmy Butler can help Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons

The Philadelphia 76ers made the biggest trade in the life of the Process, trading away Dario Saric and Robert Covington. While there are some question marks revolving around Jimmy Butler, one thing is certain: he can help Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. 

Jimmy Butler is the biggest star the Philadelphia 76ers have traded for since Chris Webber back in 2004. Giving up Dario Saric and Robert Covington for Butler is a big deal, but the positives far outweigh the negatives going forward.

Jimmy Butler can bring so much to the table that the Sixers have lacked in the past few seasons.

The Sixers have struggled heavily among the top teams in the Eastern Conference in the young season. They’ve lost by a wide margin to the likes of the Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, and the Milwaukee Bucks. A huge reason for those loses was the lack of shot creation outside of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.

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The Celtics were very effective in limiting the entire team during last years’ playoff run. They basically put all of their defensive focus into Simmons and Embiid and the offense was severely limited. Teams copied that game plan, and it’s part of the reason the Sixers have struggled a bit as of late.

Going forward, opposing teams will now have to deal with Jimmy Butler to go along with the likes of Simmons and Embiid. Teams will not be able to double or help off of Jimmy Butler, as he’s more than capable of scoring 20+ points in a night.

Butler is very effective at creating his own shot off the dribble, and demands a ton of attention on defense. That attention should also give Joel Embiid more room to work in the post. While it’s almost a certain that teams will continue to double Joel Embiid, it should happen less frequently with Butler on the team.

While the trade does take away some depth from the Sixers, it can also benefit the second unit. In the past, Brett Brown has always tried to keep either Simmons or Embiid on the floor at all times because the team depended on them so heavily. Brett Brown can use a brand new rotation, in which the Sixers will be able to play one or two of their “big three” at all times.

After all, Jimmy Butler did take a team of third stringers and destroyed the Timberwolves’ starting five in practice.

Speaking of that big three, there’s been a constant debate on how the Sixers should run their offense. Some argue that the Sixers should use a “run and gun” style which Ben Simmons thrives in. Others have said that the Sixers should use a more traditional style in which the team plays slow and sets up an offense (mainly using an Embiid post-up).

The great news is Jimmy Butler is very capable of playing either. Butler has played with a talented center in Karl Anthony Towns, and thrived with him (ON the court). The Sixers play an up-tempo system where they like to get out and get transition points, and Butler is also effective in doing that.

The Sixers have needed to get bigger and more athletic to compete with their conference rivals. Trading away Dario Saric and playing Ben Simmons at the four spot more often will help the Sixers defensively going froward.

Trading away Robert Covington and adding Jimmy Butler really doesn’t hurt or help the team anymore on defense, as both are very good defenders. This trade will allow the team to add more players (via draft or free agency) or allow current guys to step up and improve on the defensive side of the ball.

There’s a ton to take away from this trade, and so much to breakdown. There’s no argument that Jimmy Butler will bring a new dynamic that the Sixers have so desperately needed and help the team massively in the short term.