Philadelphia 76ers: How will Jimmy Butler fit in the rotation?

How he fits

Philadelphia loses two quality 3-point shooters from its starting rotation with the departures of Covington and Saric. Butler will take over at one forward position, but there are big shoes to fill at the other forward spot.

Wilson Chandler is a new face on this roster and joined the lineup on Nov. 3 after being sidelined with an injury. He’s slowly working his way back into playing shape and made his first start of the season on Monday night against Miami. He put up five points and three assists in 23 minutes of action.

Butler’s presence in the Philadelphia rotation should offset the departures of Saric and Covington. At just 29 years of age, he’s approaching the prime of his career through eight seasons and counting. He’s a solid veteran addition to a Sixers rotation that has excelled this year with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons as the primary options.

Embiid had 35 points and 18 rebounds in their victory Monday night over the Heat. Simmons had 13 points, seven assists and seven rebounds. Embiid is the team’s leading scorer, rebounder and blocker this season, averaging 28.2 points, 13.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.1 blocks per contest through 15 games. Simmons is putting up 14.9 points, 8.2 assists, 8.1 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game on 54.5 percent shooting from the floor.

Butler in the rotation should help this team on the road the most. On the road, Philadelphia is putting up just 108.3 points per contest. At home, the Sixers are putting up 117.9 points per game. They’re shooting 30.9 percent from 3-point range on the road and 36.7 percent from behind the arc at home. With another All-Star now in the starting rotation, this team has a two-way veteran it can hopefully rely on in the clutch.