NBA Twitter Reacts to Stephen A. Smith Ranking Jaylen Brown Over Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler
Most basketball fans would probably rank Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler ahead of Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown.
Apparently, ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith is not among that group.
On a segment of First Take Wednesday morning, Smith said he put Brown above Butler and Los Angeles Clippers standout Paul George.
“I think Jimmy Butler is questionable because you gotta take into account the regular season,” Smith said. “I’m not stuttering. During the playoffs, you can sit up there and bring that up. That’s fine. I’m taking the entire season into account. I understand the impact that Butler has. I think he’s a stud, but I also think Jaylen Brown is a stud. I think that’s debatable.”
NBA Twitter was critical of Smith’s assessment.
While Smith is right about regular season scoring, the postseason easily goes favors Butler. Any argument for Brown went completely out the window after the conference finals, where he shot 16 percent from 3-point range and averaged just 19 points. Even for his struggles, Butler averaged 24.7 points, 7.6 rebounds and 6.1 assists. He elevated the team to victories in Games 1, 2 and 7 and nearly orchestrated a Game 6 comeback. He was the catalyst fueling the first three victories, earning him the Eastern Conference MVP award. Brown was arguably his team’s detriment with poor shooting and turnovers in Game 7.
Such a performance now leaves his future in Boston uncertain. Thankfully, the Heat won’t have those questions about Butler any time soon. They are back in the Finals for the second time in four years.
Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside the Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at jaydenshome14@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.
