Richard Jefferson recently gave his hot take on an issue that may seem controversial to a lot of NBA fans. While discussing the ESPN Top 100 rankings, Jefferson doubled down on his stance that Jimmy Butler is not a top 20 NBA talent. During a recent episode of the Road Trippin podcast, the 2016 NBA Champion voiced his opinion on the Butler-Giannis Antetokounmpo debate while also making a bold Kobe Bryant claim.
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Jefferson believes that Giannis is the superior player between the two Eastern Conference superstars due to his natural gifts. Even though RJ understood that Butler has stopped Giannis and the Bucks twice in the playoffs before, he still believed that the Greek Freak was the more talented player.
Richard Jefferson claims Jimmy Butler isn’t a Top-20 NBA talent
Jimmy Butler has carried the Miami Heat to two NBA finals appearances during his stint in Miami. However, Richard Jefferson still doesn’t believe that Butler is a Top-20 NBA talent. Even though Butler does have a good height, decent weight, strength, and speed, Jefferson doesn’t believe his gifts compare to that of the freaks in the league.
Jefferson, during a monologue on the Road Trippin Podcast, went further into the topic, telling his co-hosts that, “I stand by Jimmy Butler is not a top-20 NBA talent guy…We are talking about guys that are…40-inch verts and can shoot from everywhere. No. But his grit, his intensive-ness, his toughness, his consistency, and competitiveness, that’s what pushes him up. Above so many players.”
“If Jimmy Butler had Kobe Bryant’s body and skill set, he would be Kobe Bryant…maybe not exactly Kobe but on that level,” the former Dallas Mavericks star boldly added.
Though both Kobe and Jimmy have drawn comparisons to Michael Jordan, their resumes are quite different. Jimmy, who is yet to win a ring, has stopped the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo multiple times in the playoffs. But despite the record favoring Butler, Antetokounmpo was ranked over Butler in the recent ESPN ratings, probably on the back of his two NBA MVPs and 2021 NBA Championship win.
In any case, RJ seems to agree with the rankings despite Butler’s record. The NBA vet just doesn’t believe Butler has that natural talent that many superstars like Steph Curry and LeBron James have.
Jimmy has his eyes set on the prize
Jimmy Butler isn’t a man who enjoys second-place finishes. The Heat superstar wasn’t very impressed with his Finals run last year and doesn’t want to talk about it anymore. Butler even let Sports Illustrated know that he doesn’t give a d**n about last season’s performance and his entire focus is on the upcoming season.
The Miami Heat star let it be known that he would be gunning for the Championship this season and nothing else. Jimmy even decided to call out Giannis, Dame, and the Bucks, as he declared he would beat them too. With so many storylines concurring in the league, it would be interesting to see who makes the Finals this year.
