Over the course of a 76ers season marked by the substantial influx of starpower, perhaps no player has had to adapt as much as Jimmy Butler.
From finding scoring opportunities within the team’s system, to being tasked with sporadically running the point, the four-time All-Star - especially on the offensive end of the court - has been surrounded by newness.
In helping the Sixers Tuesday put away the pesky, playoff-hungry Orlando Magic, there was no taking of the proverbial back seat for Butler.
He was full-fledged front and center, delivering a fantastic two-way clutch performance that steered his squad to a 114-106 victory.
Before diving into the details of the final three minutes of regulation, let’s review what Butler had done up to that crucial turning point.
His stat line was modest - eight points, two rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Consistent with the approach he’s adopted since joining the Sixers three weeks into the season, Butler had been playing within the flow of the game.
Then swiftly, with Tuesday’s competitive contest hanging tenuously in the balance, practically begging to be stolen by either side (the score sat at 101-99 for more than two minutes), Butler began imposing his will.
Bang! went the smooth, stepback 19-foot elbow jumper that ended the offensive stalemate, and nudged the Sixers in front, 103-99, with 2:49 to go.
Moments later, poke! Butler stole the ball away from center Nik Vucevic.
The Sixers, however, weren’t able to capitalize on their next two offensive possessions, which kept the door open. Sure enough, Orlando’s Jonathan Isaac connected on a 3-pointer to trim the gap to 103-102 with 1:50 to play.
No margin for error? No problem for Butler.
He calmly drained another ISO jumper from the wing - this one measuring 22 feet - to make it 105-102.
Oh, and back the other way, matched up with the All-Star Vucevic, all Butler did was strip the ball free to disrupt Orlando’s set, which ultimately ended with a hurried, missed shot.
Butler proceeded to bring the ball up, get the Sixers into their offense, and found Mike Scott for an open three.
Ballgame, essentially.
Butler had just treated The Center’s sellout crowd of 20,379 to some closing brilliance.
“Years ago, when the [Los Angeles] Lakers were my [scout] team, I used to see Kobe [Bryant] do that all the time,” said Brett Brown, referring to one of his assignments as an assistant coach in San Antonio.
Butler was at that level Tuesday.
“When it got to a stage of a game that we needed something more,” Brown said, “there he was.”
Simple as that, right?
Of course not.
But Butler does have a way of making dramatic finishes look easy. And for as difficult as it is to nail a contested mid-range jump shot - let alone two - in such tight, high-pressure, late-game situations, the 29-year old’s ferocity on defense and his willingness to take on a physical mismatch the likes of Vucevic were equally as impressive.
With the days growing longer, the basketball becoming more meaningful, and spring looming around the corner, Butler’s crunch time performance Tuesday represented the exact kind of weapon the Sixers could benefit from having in the playoffs.
“I think my teammates and coaches have a lot of confidence in me to take and make shots late, that’s all I’m worried about,” Butler said. “I hope we never ever get into that situation, but if we do, I feel like a lot of the time, I’m going to be called upon to make some shots.”Against the Magic, it was a mission masterfully accomplished.