ESPN’s First Take produced a viral moment Thursday when Jay Williams said that Heat star Jimmy Butler was harder to guard this year than Kevin Durant and LeBron James.
The question was based on an Aaron Gordon quote in which he said Butler “is a difficult cover for different reasons” than the challenges Durant and James present. The take was sure to raise some eyebrows even with Butler’s dominance this postseason, and Smith’s immediate reaction was priceless. Williams did, however, make a fairly compelling case, arguing that Durant had been thrust into a new system with the Suns and was coming off an injury, while LeBron was facing taxing defensive responsibilities.
“Jimmy Butler, a guy who can get to different spots, a guy who actually has attention to detail in the conditioning, is different than the other two,” Williams said. He later called him one of the best in the NBA at using ball fakes, shot fakes and “unorthodox moves” around the rim.
.@RealJayWilliams said Jimmy Butler has recently been harder to guard than KD and LeBron ... and @stephenasmith LOST IT 😂 pic.twitter.com/gxYdVLim8F
— First Take (@FirstTake) June 1, 2023
As you can see, Williams’s impassioned argument did little to move Smith, whose facial expressions throughout WIlliams’s pitch are sure to be used again and again in memes.
“It’s asinine stuff like this that drives me crazy because the man knows basketball,” Smith said. “[Williams] says stuff just to rile me up. This was a shot at Stephen A. He knew that he was going to get on my nerves with this answer. … He lives to do this, ladies and gentlemen.”
As for Stephen A’s take, he gave Butler credit and called him “top five” when the postseason comes around, but had a simple message for those who call him harder to guard than LeBron or Durant.
“Y’all need to stop,” Smith said.
