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The 76ers Still Face An Uphill Eastern Conference Battle

The Philadelphia 76ers have been a team on the rise. After last year's playoff appearance and first round victory, the expectations were high for Philadelphia to compete in the LeBron-less Eastern Conference. But even with the addition of superstar Jimmy Butler, the 76ers still face an uphill battle in their conference.

Jimmy Butler's trade came somewhat out of the blue. He requested a trade prior to the season, but the Minnesota Timberwolves seemed content holding on to him until the right offer came along. Minnesota reportedly rejected separate offers from the Houston Rockets: one including a whopping FOUR first-round draft picks and one packaging Eric Gordon and Nene with two first-rounders.

Instead, the 76ers acquired him early on Saturday afternoon. The trade also brought PG Landry Shamet to Philadelphia, while the Sixers shipped out two starters: Robert Covington and Dario Sarcic.
Image result for robert covington 76ers
This leads us to the first reason the Butler trade won't put Philly over the top: they lose depth and consistency. Both players had been on the roster for a couple years, and were integral to the team's scoring in 2018. Joel Embiid (27.7 PPG), J.J. Redick (17.4 PPG) and Ben Simmons (15.0 PPG) were the only players who contributed more points than Covington (11.3 PPG) and Sarcic (11.1 PPG).

Spark Sports called Covington the "unsung hero of the Philadelphia 76ers" just under a year ago.

Together, the two starters averaged 22.4 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. Butler will likely replace a good amount of this production, but it still runs the offense thinner. Yes, Butler, Embiid, Redick, and Simmons will put up points, but where will they come from after that?

On the bright side, Butler should improve Philadelphia's 20th-ranked scoring defense. Butler is one of the best two-way players in the league, and alongside Simmons and Embiid, the 76ers should be able to establish some defensive consistency. 

There's also questions surrounding how Butler will mesh with the team. To his credit, he excelled alongside "high-usage" players in Minnesota. Simmons and Butler are also smart passers, so there shouldn't be drama surrounding who gets the rock. But could Butler's personality clash with the developing Markelle Fultz? Will Butler expect to be the face of the team, even though Embiid and Simmons are a couple years deep in the process?
jimmy_twitter_76ers.jpg
So far we've discussed the internal reasons the 76ers might still be a piece or two away from championship contention despite Butler's addition. But the biggest challenge Philadelphia faces is its competition.

The Toronto Raptors have only lost once in the Kawhi Leonard era. Having Butler is actually great in this matchup, as he can match up with Leonard. But even neutralizing the matchup (a best case scenario) wouldn't be enough, as the Raptors are deeper at have talent at multiple positions.

Butler could probably guard Leonard as their sizes aren't drastically different, but what happens when Giannis Antetokounmpo comes barreling down the line? And assuming the Celtics figure out how to fix the 6th-worst offense in the NBA, how can Philly defend a balanced lineup?

In Conclusion

The 76ers potential ceiling is higher with Jimmy Butler on the roster. The big three of Butler, Simmons, and Embiid could be a problem for many teams. Unfortunately, Philadelphia doesn't gain enough ground on the Raptors, Bucks, and Celtics, due to losing two starters in the process. At this point in time, I see the 76ers finishing 3rd or 4th in the East, a first-round victory, and another second-round exit. I think the best case scenario is an Eastern Conference Finals loss, where they fall to the Raptors or Celtics.

Header photo: ClutchPoints.com
Robert Covington photo: original source unknown, acquired via SparkSports.io
Jimmy Butler photo: USA Today via NBC Sports


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