Photo Credit: JIM RASSOL, USA TODAY SPORTS
Jimmy Butler is many things, but controversial NBA analyst and hot-take artist Stephen A. Smith doesn’t believe being the best player on a championship team is one of them.
This playoffs, Butler is averaging 27.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game on 47.6% shooting from the field and is clearly the major reason why the Heat have managed to reach their second NBA Finals in four seasons.
Butler’s impact and production throughout the playoffs can’t be overstated, but the way he has struggled to pile up top-notch performances against the Denver Nuggets got Smith spitting up a massive unpopular opinion about his capability of being the best player on a championship team.
“No, I do not,” Smith said. “Even when he’s 100 percent, I don’t believe that. Here’s why I don’t believe that. As Kendrick Perkins eloquently explained just a few days ago, you talk about the fact that you think about superstars and what we usually get from those superstars in terms of offensive production — that’s not Jimmy.”
.@stephenasmith doesn’t think Jimmy Butler can be the best player on a championship team 👀
“You think about superstars and what we usually get from those superstars in terms of offensive production, that’s not Jimmy.” pic.twitter.com/x2ejL8VjMV
— First Take (@FirstTake) June 9, 2023
