1. He could hold LeBron James accountable
One of the self-proclaimed king’s problems is that no one has ever told him no. At the same time, he has the gall to call out his teammates for not playing defense or not showing urgency, even though he himself has been guilty of those same two things.
Before departing Minnesota, Butler butted heads with Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Wiggins, reportedly calling both of them “soft” during team scrimmages. Butler later spoke about this incident and clarified that he plays hard and with passion and that he was being hard on his teammates because he wanted to bring out the best in them.
"“Am I being tough on him? Yeah, that’s who am I,” Butler said. “I’m not the most talented player on the team. Who is the most talented player on our team? KAT. Who is the most God-gifted player on our team?Wiggs. … Who plays the hardest? Me! I play hard. I put my body [on the line] every day in practice, every day in games. That’s my passion. Everybody leads in different ways. That’s how I show I’m here for you.”"
I know this quality can be a double-edged sword on a LeBron-led team, and especially in a metropolis like Los Angeles, where the drama is as common as luxury cars and fake tans.
But as long as Butler has LeBron’s respect upon arriving here, it could actually be a good thing, as the 76ers star could get in LeBron’s face if he’s not giving effort on the defensive end, and the three-time NBA champ may actually respond in a positive way for the good of the team.