Jimmy Butler says he’s doing his job — whatever Sixers ask him to do

NEW ORLEANS — It’s no secret that Jimmy Butler has been deferring to his 76ers teammates.

A prime example came Saturday in a 130-115 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. The Sixers were without their best player, Joel Embiid (left knee tendinitis), but Butler, one of the NBA’s best isolation players, took only nine shots, just three in the second half, and finished with 15 points.

If he’s disappointed, the four-time All-Star swingman isn’t saying it publicly.

“I’m doing my job,” Butler said after a shootaround Monday at Smoothie King Arena before the Sixers faced the Pelicans. “I’m doing whatever they ask me to do. I’m playing my role to the best of my abilities, and go out there and play basketball.”

The Sixers acquired Butler and Justin Patton from the Minnesota Timberwolves for Robert Covington, Dario Saric, Jerryd Bayless, and a 2022 second-round pick on Nov. 12. Butler has averaged 13.4 shots through 38 games with the Sixers. That’s his lowest average since attempting 10.4 in the 2013-14 season, when he was with the Chicago Bulls.

His field-goal attempts rank fourth on the team, behind Embiid (18.5), newcomer Tobias Harris (13.8 in six games), and JJ Redick (13.6).

In his last three games, Butler has had 9, 14, and 6 shots. He’s averaging 18.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.87 steals as a Sixer.

Butler is expected to opt out of the final year of his contract this summer to become a free agent. The Sixers hope to sign him to a long-term contract then.

They can offer him a five-year, $190 million max contract in the summer because they hold his Bird rights. Teams that don’t have his rights would be able to offer Butler only a four-year, $141 million max contract in free agency.

Monty Williams, the Sixers’ lead assistant coach, couldn’t walk 10 feet at Smoothie King Arena without someone stopping him to say hello or welcome him back before the game with the Pelicans.

Williams has pleasant memories of the Big Easy from his time here as the Pelicans coach, June 2010 to May 2015. He compiled a 173-221 regular-season record. He led the mostly rebuilding Pelicans to two postseason appearances, suffering first-round exits both times.

“No one likes to get fired or wants to get fired,” he said. "But you understand when you are on that side of it, that could happen. It’s one of those things, if you don’t win a championship, at some point you are going to get fired.

“I had five years here, which was a really long run for a first-time head coach. So many things to be thankful for."

But this city means more to him than providing a head-coaching opportunity. Being here gave him the opportunity to be the assistant head coach for the U.S.A. men’s basketball team in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

His youngest child, Micah, was born here. He, his late wife, Ingrid, and the rest of the Williamses were heavily involved in the community.

“It’s a city that’s special to me,” Williams said. “To this day, I still get letter and emails from people from this city. That part is pretty cool to be on this side of it.”

He’s proud of Ingrid Williams’ work with shelters and young women, and that Micah Williams was born here.

“I didn’t really do anything,” he said. “I just watched her and my kids do a ton in this city that was really under the radar. And then being a part of an organization that was rebuilding.”

At the time, Williams didn’t really understand how that would help him. However, he said that getting fired gave him a chance to evaluate things and grow as a coach.