Jimmy Butler's debut with the Philadelphia Sixers brought plenty of reasons to be excited about this new-look lineup, but his 14 points, four rebounds and two assists were mainly underwhelming during a 33-minute stint with the rest of his teammates.
J.J. Redick was the most comfortable starter in the lineup, despite playing only two of the previous 15 games as one, now inserted back at his normal shooting guard spot for good after the trade that brought Butler to the City of Brotherly Love.
“Obviously we didn't win,” said Butler, according to ESPN's Tim Bontemps. “Not the outcome we wanted to have, but we've got a lot more of these things. I think we'll all be better, myself included. We've got another [game] on Friday.”
Butler wasn't erratic or wild, but rather trying to figure out how to play with his new teammates in a completely different system, which he's still trying to figure out.
“I am going to lock into it and figure it all out once they give it to me,” said Butler of Philadelphia's playbook. “Next game, I guarantee I will know a lot more than I did this game.”
The Sixers will take the positives with them and try to ease his transition to Philly, hoping to make it the best experience possible for the four-time All-Star. The Sixers had 32 assists in 41 made field goals, a sign that the same coaching style will prevail, despite Butler's timely acquisition.
“I feel like, although we lost, the organization of the tiny few things we put in, put us in decent position,” said head coach Brett Brown. “If you get three shots back instead of three turnovers, maybe we're all talking to each other after a win.”
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