76ers coach Brown: Butler 'mirrors the spirit of Philadelphia'

Far from just acquiring a star in his prime in Jimmy Butler, Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown believes the organization has obtained a player that fits perfectly both with the team and the city.

"I mean, where do you begin?" Brown said, according to ESPN's Tim Bontemps. "I think that, defensively, and with the physicality that he plays with ... he mirrors the spirit of Philadelphia.

"He is a fierce competitor, and there is (a) toughness that he plays with. It's who he is. He wears it on his face. It's seen in his game. It's confirmed by multiple All-Defensive teams, and it's a perfect fit for our city and our program defensively."

The 76ers lost a couple of important pieces in the deal to acquire Butler with the Minnesota Timberwolves, trading away starting forwards Robert Covington and Dario Saric. However, Brown believes he's now equipped with a roster that can take the next step after a second-round appearance last season and years of struggle during the "Trust the Process" era.

"Maybe (Butler is) the first move in the new reality that our goal is to build for a championship, and play in the NBA Finals, and continue to be an annual - and that's always the hardest thing - contender," Brown said. "I think we are building a core, truly, with their ages, that is going to have the ability to do that. We are going to have the ability to do that for a while now.

"We'll be amongst royalty for a while now. So if you refer to that as sort of the first phase of the legitimate process, I think that's fair."

Butler will debut Wednesday against the Orlando Magic.