Philadelphia 76ers: Joel Embiid still misses Jimmy Butler

The Philadelphia 76ers made a mistake and Joel Embiid won’t let them forget it.

Oh, Twitter. One of the most actively harmful vessels for mindless entertainment and semi-human connection that exists today. It is also home to some of Joel Embiid‘s best NBA moments. Only so much can go wrong when your superstar is #online.

Last night, Jimmy Butler made every Philadelphia 76ers fan wallow in remorse. Once criticized for his decision to leave, Butler continues to prove Miami was probably the right decision. He scored 40 points in the Heat’s Game 1 victory over Milwaukee, the team Philadelphia was purportedly designed to beat.

As the Sixers float aimlessly into the unknown, the Heat have a real opportunity to compete. The Bucks are still heavy favorites, but it’s clear Miami’s future — both short-term and long-term — is in a more stable position than that of Philadelphia.

The Heat have Butler, a burgeoning two-way star in Bam Adebayo, and the allure of both competitiveness and location to dangle in free agency. The Sixers are capped out, with no clear path to a better roster around Embiid and his partner in crime, Ben Simmons. Philadelphia has dug itself a hole, and Miami has the high ground.

We can debate why Butler left another time. Some will argue it came down to Butler or Simmons, positioning the narrative as a rigid dichotomy — a clear and necessary choice on the part of Philadelphia’s front office. Given what we know so far, not to mention the general assumption of incompetence tied to this group, I’m not so sure it was that easy.

Even so, letting Butler walk was a mistake. A mistake the Sixers can no longer hide from. He is thriving in Miami, whereas his presence was desperately missed in Philadelphia’s first-round exit. Butler is the ultra-competitive, shot-creating closer the Sixers once coveted, and are now without.

Embiid and Butler were always friends. They operated on a similar competitive wavelength, despite the undue criticism Embiid often receives in that department. They’re two players desperate to win, and at the end of the day, they’re two flat-out superstars. Embiid clearly misses Butler.

Here’s what the Sixers’ big man tweeted last night as Miami cemented its victory over Milwaukee, largely on Butler’s shoulders.

Followed in short order by this…

It’s not hard to fill in the blank. IF…… Jimmy stayed in Philly, what happens? We can also stretch this into a narrative of discontent and perpetuate the increasingly not-impossible theory that Embiid will one day join Butler in South Beach. It’s a thought! And if Embiid does leave one day — a day that will have manifested because of Philadelphia’s own incompetence, and nothing else — maybe a cozy beachfront mansion next to Butler’s isn’t the worst location.

On a more immediate front, this is a clear and blatant attempt to humiliate the front office, something Embiid has done before. Think back to Burnergate, when Embiid playfully prodded the Sam Hinkie wound that Bryan Colangelo so ardently detested in private.

Embiid can pack a lot of subtext into a few poignant words when he wants to, and Twitter is his literature of choice. The Sixers should have made a stronger effort to keep Butler. It’s clear as day that Embiid — your No. 1 star and top priority — wanted it.

The front office deserves humiliation, and it also deserves a challenge. Embiid is challenging the Sixers to do better, and this is one of many shots he is fully warranted to take. The Sixers need to do better by Embiid, and by Simmons. If Philadelphia cannot complement a talent of Embiid’s magnitude, then he will simply pack his bags and find an organization that can.

The Sixers are on the clock. Do better.