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Jimmy Butler has been terrific since joining the Miami Heat, and friend and former Chicago Bulls teammate Dwyane Wade has taken notice.
There have been plenty of narratives thrown around about Butler in recent years as he has gone from team to team, but Wade insists nothing has changed with him and that he's just in the perfect situation now.
Via Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald:
“Jimmy Butler has absolutely not changed,” Wade said. “You know that saying: Winning cures all. That’s what it is. You put Jimmy in an environment where his — I always say his crazy and I don’t want that to come off like Jimmy is crazy. But I always say Jimmy has his own way, his own style and it doesn’t fit with everyone. Along this journey, everyone has tried to make Jimmy the scapegoat. Jimmy is the problem. Jimmy is this, Jimmy is that. Then you put him with the right person who actually has the same kind of crazy with the Miami Heat organization overall, and it just makes sense. There might not be another organization in the NBA that makes sense for Jimmy.
“Ultimately, Jimmy’s whole thing this whole time is he just wants other guys that work like him, that play the game as hard as he does, that can execute the game when it matters and things of that nature. That’s how he built himself. He built himself on the work that he puts in on film and on wins and losses in the game. Some organizations may not be ready for that kind of player. It may be too much for coaches, it may be too much for other players because everyone has different goals. This has been Jimmy’s goal along.”
In addition, Wade brought up the Heat's special culture and how it's exactly what Butler has been looking for in a team. The former Bull even referenced a time in Chicago when he and Butler were fined for calling out teammates in an attempt to hold them accountable. Wade clearly had a major influence on Butler with the Bulls, and that influence is still felt today, even with the future Hall of Famer out of the picture. Of course, Wade is still making his presence known.
Averaging 21.8 points on 47.7 percent shooting to along with 5.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game, Butler has shown that he's all about that Heat culture this postseason. Many wondered if the offseason signing of Butler to a four-year maximum contract was logical given his short stints with previous teams that ended full of locker room drama, but right now, it's looking like a perfect match in Miami.
Butler and the Heat have put the league on notice as a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference after sweeping the Indiana Pacers and nearly sweeping the Milwaukee Bucks in the playoffs. Now, Butler will lead Miami against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals.
