Philadelphia 76ers: Jimmy Butler is reasserting his value

After a choppy regular season, Jimmy Butler has established himself as the Philadelphia 76ers’ second-best player.

The Philadelphia 76ers entered the postseason as relative underdogs in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Bucks, Raptors and Celtics were all given better odds, with few expecting the Sixers’ talented starting cast to gel in time.

Now, just three games into the second round, narratives are changing. The Sixers are up 2-1 on the vaunted Toronto Raptors, dodging Kawhi Leonard bullets, playing elite defense and getting solid contributions from unexpected sources.

There’s real potential for the Sixers to advance to the next round. There’s real potential for the Sixers to make the NBA Finals. It’s far from likely — the Toronto series ain’t over yet, folks — but the opportunity is there. Jimmy Butler deserves a lot of credit.

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After trading for Butler in November, the Sixers underwent an expectedly lengthy adjustment period. Butler wasn’t the perfect fit on paper and added a dynamic Brett Brown didn’t previously have. Working him into the offense and keeping the Joel Embiid–Ben Simmons duo happy was always going to be a challenge.

Then Elton Brand added another wrinkle at the trade deadline, adding Tobias Harris and essentially wiping the bench clean. The Sixers had two relatively new starters and a bench loaded with new pieces. Butler, due to his play style, took the longest to adjust.

With that said, the playoffs were the reason Brand added Jimmy. Not to add wins in the regular season, but to make the Sixers a more viable postseason contender. His skill set — an isolation scorer who can create in the halfcourt — is what the Sixers lacked against Boston in 2018. The move, after months of controversy among fans, is finally paying off.

Butler has been splendid in the postseason. He lit up Brooklyn for 36 in Game 1 before playing excellent two-way ball throughout round one. Against Toronto, Butler avenged a poor Game 1 performance with 30 points in Game 2, leading the Sixers to a narrow win on the road. Game 3 was a near triple-double for Butler, as he dropped 22 points, nine boards and nine assists.

One reason for Butler’s success has been the expansion of Brett Brown’s playbook. Rather than sticking to the regular season offense, Brown has added more wrinkles, moving Ben Simmons into more of an off-ball role and allowing Butler to act as primary initiator.

In doing so, Butler has been able to impact the game as both a scorer and facilitator, rather than settling into one or the other. He’s also running more pick-and-rolls with Embiid and Harris, putting constant stress on the defense and forcing Toronto to make difficult decisions.

For most of the regular season, people questioned Butler’s value to this team. Most were convinced Harris was top priority heading into the summer, citing Butler’s age and less-than-elite shooting numbers.

Butler was always the better player, though, and while his age comes with definite concerns, he’s the second-best player on the Sixers’ roster. His A-game might not be present for 82 regular season games, but he’s showing up in the postseason. He continues to show up when it matters.

In three second-round games, Butler is averaging 20.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists. Those are significant upgrades over his regular season totals. He’s also averaging a steal per game, adjusting his defensive approach after Game 1.

Even with below average shooting percentages, Butler has been at his best over the past two contests. His shot-making, passing and defense are all present, along with his patented hustle. We’re finally getting a taste of Jimmy G. Buckets on the biggest stage.

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The Sixers need to ride Jimmy to the finish line. His newfound confidence, along with Embiid’s health, will go a long way in determining the Sixers’ fate.