Jimmy Butler is often tagged as a chemistry killer during his stint with the Chicago Bulls and the Minnesota Timberwolves. There were also doubts about how his strong personality will affect the Philadelphia 76ers when he was acquired earlier in the season. Some Sixers fans feared that Butler will ruin team chemistry and the future of their promising tandem of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. However, teammate Amir Johnson thinks otherwise. Johnson believes that the superstar guard is just often misunderstood.
Johnson told Michael Lee of The Athletic that Butler is not afraid to speak his mind, which could be the reason why most fans think that he is hard to play with. The veteran forward added that Butler is the type of teammate who will tell you straight to the face if you are not doing good.
“I'll tell you what. He speaks his mind. No matter what the situation is. I don't know if that has anything to do with it. It could be. He definitely is not shy in telling it how it is. And you can either take it or leave it. You can't do nothing but respect that,” Johnson said when asked about the “chemistry killer” tag on Butler.
Butler has actually proven time and again that he will say whatever he wants to say. He previously criticized teammates and coaches during his time in Chicago. Last year in Minnesota, he openly said that the Timberwolves need him to win, which happened in a well-publicized heated practice. He was eventually traded by the Timberwolves to the Sixers earlier in the 2018-19 NBA season. It appears he is enjoying his stint in Philly, where he is averaging 19.0 points to go along with 5.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists.
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