New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau, who coached Miami Heat small forward Jimmy Butler on the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves, is incredibly happy for the five-time All-Star's success this season.
Butler has been stellar in his first season with the Heat. He has the team one win away from reaching the 2020 NBA Finals at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
However, even Thibodeau is pretty shocked to see the player Butler has become, as the former Coach of the Year never thought Jimmy was going to be this good.
Via Marc Berman of the New York Post:
“Even now, an established All-Star, he still works incredibly hard, plays very unselfishly, plays to win,” Tom Thibodeau said about Jimmy Butler.
“He’s not about statistics. I knew that from the start with him. I never envisioned him being this good.”
Jimmy Butler averaged 19.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists for the Heat during the 2019-20 regular season. He also shot 45.5 percent from the field, 24.4 percent from beyond the arc and 83.4 percent from the free-throw line. In the postseason, he's putting up 20.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game while shooting 46.2 percent from the field, 44.0 percent on 3-pointers and 84.6 percent from the charity stripe.
Thibodeau is the coach who gave Butler his first opportunity on the Bulls. The two will always have a close bond despite the Heat swingman requesting a trade from Thibs and the Timberwolves in 2018.
Jimmy Butler has never been to the NBA Finals. It would be quite the story if he's able to guide the Heat to the promised land, especially when you consider he wasn't a high draft pick and was homeless at one point in Texas as a kid.
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