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Jimmy Butler never had any reservations about being the only “star” player on the team when he signed with the Miami Heat last summer.
The 31-year-old was asked back in November about possibly feeling any unease after seeing LeBron James struggle with injuries and miss the playoffs as the leader of a young Los Angeles Lakers last year.
However, Butler said he and LeBron are different, adding he makes decisions for himself rather than weighing the choices of others:
Article Continues Below“No. Because we’re two completely different players, two different people,” Jimmy Butler said, via Michael Lee of The Athletic. “He handles stuff the way he handles it. I handle stuff the way I handle it. I respect him a lot, but his decision doesn’t do too much for me. He don’t put no money in my pocket. He don’t put no food on my table. He don’t put no roof on my head. No disrespect to him, he’s a hell of a player, but his path is way different than mine. I only can stay on my path. It’s hard enough for me to read two books at one time. I know to keep up with two different careers has got to be a little bit harder.”
Of course, while he was hitching himself to a young team, Jimmy Butler has had some help in his journey to the NBA Finals.
Goran Dragic provided a veteran presence to help Butler lead, and Bam Adebayo developed into one of the best bigs in basketball.
Not to mention, rookies like Kendrick Nunn (though he has hardly played in the playoffs) and Tyler Herro have given the Heat invaluable contributions, while Duncan Robinson has been one of the best shooters in the game.
Still, Jimmy Butler deserves credit for showing full confidence in Heat culture and head coach Erik Spoelstra while showing a determination to lead Miami to championship heights.
