Jimmy Butler: Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons to 'Go Down in History' as Great Players

The Philadelphia 76ers players were emotional after their Game 7 loss to the Toronto Raptors, but Jimmy Butler still showed a lot of support to his teammates. 

The wing had high praise when asked about Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.

"I've got nothing bad to say about them," Butler said, per Kyle Neubeck of the Philly Voice. "...they're going to go down in history, they're going to do great things in this league."

The 76ers had high expectations this year but were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs for the second season in a row despite adding key players like Butler and Tobias Harris in midseason trades.

Simmons, who averaged only 11.6 points against Toronto, has received some blame for his poor scoring during the series. Embiid struggled with his shot and only averaged 17.6—down from his 27.5 points-per-game average during the regular season. The center also made only 36.3 percent of his attempts from the field during the seven-game series.

Despite the inconsistency from the young players, Butler is standing by them while showing just how highly he thinks of them.

Those lofty expectations aren't out of the question, either.

Embiid is already one of the top bigs in the NBA at just 25 years old, while the 22-year-old Simmons reached the All-Star Game in his second season. However, they each have a long way to go before becoming all-time greats. 

As for whether this will affect his pending free agency, Butler was more noncommittal:

Butler is certainly going to be in demand this summer. The question is whether his time with the 76ers will be enough to convince him to stay on a long-term deal.