Fansided

Report: Jimmy Butler “aggressively challenged” coach Brett Brown

By Tre LyDay

PORTLAND, OR - DECEMBER 30: Jimmy Butler #23 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on against the Portland Trail Blazers on December 30, 2018 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR - DECEMBER 30: Jimmy Butler #23 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on against the Portland Trail Blazers on December 30, 2018 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Philadelphia 76ers are still trying to incorporate Jimmy Butler into their offense, and it may not be going that well.

Right now the Philadelphia 76ers are 25-14 and hold the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. They acquired five-star All-Star Jimmy Butler back in November in hopes of getting them further in the playoffs and possibly to the NBA Finals.

The Sixers acquired Butler after an ugly few months of public trade demands, passive-aggressive (and sometimes just straight aggressive) feuding with the Minnesota Timberwolves front office. The Sixers traded for him and in doing so had to hope that they wouldn’t go through the same thing the Timberwolves did.

There’s always a feeling out period when acquiring a new player, especially in season. The players have to grow accustomed to one another. This is especially the case when the player your getting is an elite player and has to adapt to two other elite players in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.

According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski, Jimmy Butler has been frustrated enough that he publicly “challenged” head coach Brett Brown about his role in the offense.

"Butler has been vocal in his contesting of Brown and his system, including a recent film session in Portland that some witnesses considered “disrespectful” and beyond normal player-coach discourse."

We all know that Butler is an outspoken person, and will make his point very clear. That being said it’s still very interesting that he would challenge the head coach about his role in the offense. The 76ers are currently 11th in the NBA in offensive rating, and yes the team needs to find more ways to get Butler involved on offense, but that’s going to take some time. Given how things headed in Minnesota and the fact that he’s entering free agency, it seems like Butler would be giving more care to protecting his reputation.

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We will see what this means for the rest of the season, and into the offseason as the 76ers want to sign Butler to an extension. If everyone can’t coexist then it may not work.