Philadelphia 76ers: How Jimmy Butler reaffirmed his superstar status

During the playoffs, Philadelphia 76ers’ Jimmy Butler proved why he is a superstar and why teams will be lining up to sign the all-star in free agency

When free agency officially opens this summer, unrestricted free agent Jimmy Butler will have a hefty number of suitors looking to acquire his services. In recent weeks, that number of suitors has almost certainly increased.

In the playoffs, Butler was the Philadelphia 76ers‘ best player – but that alone isn’t what’s seemingly catapulted Butler back into the territory of the NBA’s elite.

His postseason numbers don’t jump off the stat sheet. As was the case in the regular season, Butler’s numbers are a shell of what they once were with the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves. Sharing the court with an All-NBA center and three other 17+ point per game scorers doesn’t really help his cause in that regard.

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While Butler’s numbers were still decent (19/6/5 on 46/29/86 splits), that’s not what caught the eye. What did catch the eye was the authoritative stamps Butler put on games during the playoffs. On multiple occasions, the 6-foot-7 swingman reminded the world of his superstar status.

Brooklyn Nets at Philadelphia, Round 1, Game 1. Despite the loss, Butler drops 36 points along with nine boards, two steals, and two blocks. With Ben Simmons, J.J. Redick and Tobias Harris combining for 18 points on 8-23 shooting, the stellar play of Butler prevented a Nets route.

Philadelphia at Toronto Raptors, Round 2, Game 2. Butler puts up 30/11/5 to even the series, hitting timely shots all night long.

The very next game: 22/9/9 on 9-15 shooting in a 76ers blowout.

How about a must-win Game 6? 25/6/8 on 50 percent shooting.

These stat lines are nice – and while Butler sometimes fell into the abyss that comes with playing alongside four other excellent offensive talents, his postseason play was more than attractive numbers.

In Game 6 against the Raptors, he had a steal that lead to a dunk to send Wells Fargo Center into an absolute frenzy. In Game 7 of that same series, his layup with four seconds to go – although eventually for nothing – kept Philly alive.

Butler knows when it’s time to rise to the occasion, as all superstars should.

But the 29-year-old’s superstar status transcends putting the ball in the basket, playmaking at an elite level or making stellar defensive plays.

A once scrutinized aspect of Butler’s persona, his leadership during his short tenure with the Sixers has drawn nothing but praise.

ESPN’s ‘Mic’d up’ allowed a glimpse into Butler’s on-court presence during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semis.

Embiid drilled the triple, and Nick Nurse was forced into a timeout. During the timeout, Butler plead to the big Cameroonian that he continue taking that shot when he’s left wide open, despite Embiid hovering around 30 percent from deep on the year.

Butler’s storied past in regards to his leadership are well documented. The Timberwolves third-stringers-fiasco was, well, exactly that.

It’s clear from watching Butler that he’s driven by winning, as are many. He hustles, scraps, competes on every single possession. Sometimes, that will to win gets him into a pickle or two. A playoff ejection and a few in-season scuffles proved that.

But if that’s the price to pay, then so be it. Butler’s mentality is winning at all costs. At times, his methods may border on maniacal if you asked Karl-Anthony Towns or Andrew Wiggins. If you asked Brett Brown, Ben Simmons or Joel Embiid, they’d probably tell you a different story – a story of how Butler is simply extremely passionate about his team winning basketball games.

What’s clear is Butler can be ‘the guy’ for a franchise. These playoffs proved it.

With Embiid in and out due to injuries and illness, Butler held the Sixers together most nights. If Embiid was at his best, who knows what Philadelphia could’ve achieved this year.

And let’s not forget about the nature of this team. Harris and virtually the entire bench arrived midseason. Butler, although earlier on, was an in-season acquisition, too.

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With Embiid in-and-out of the lineup on top of that, as well as the overall stylistic issues facing the new-look starting five, it’s a wonder they wound up where they did.

Butler’s play, despite a lack of continuity and an icky fit, shows that he can thrive in just about any situation – some food for thought for onlooking GM’s.