“Players Were a Little Sensitive”: Miami Heat Guard Disregards Popular Belief Around Jimmy Butler

Joan Jett & the Blackhearts released the song “Bad Reputation” in 1980 when Jimmy Butler was just a 9-year-old. However, Jimmy somehow lived by the lyrics of that song and became the bad boy of basketball. He is today known as the notorious figure that helped an underdog Miami Heat reach the NBA Finals 2020.

TJ Warren (Pacers), Zion Williamson (Pelicans), Kawhi Leonard (Clippers), and the list goes on. Jimmy G. Buckets has earlier splashed his heat over many opponents to develop this image of an angry young man. But it’s not just limited to rivals. At times, he can be really hard on his own teammates.

Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic revealed some details about his character

The controversial, porcupine-tough character of Jimmy Butler needs some explanation. For this, star guard Goran Dragic came forward to explain Jimmy’s unpopular persona. He revealed in an interview,

“He is a tremendous player, unbelievable teammate. I think it’s the culture that Miami has. Coach Spo and the coaches, they want you to talk. They want you to engage in a conversation. Sometimes it’s not going to be pretty, it’s not going to be nice. That is good to move forward as a team.”

34-YO Goran got a torn plantar fascia in game 1 of the NBA Finals. Along with him, Bam Adebayo also injured himself, and this exposed the Miami Heat bench against a big Lakers side. Still, Jimmy’s aggressive leadership helped them force a game 6 and lose with their heads held high.

How did Jimmy Butler attain his bad reputation?

Back in 2018, Jimmy gave an interview to ESPN’s Rachel Nichols that made everything crystal clear. He was honest about his feelings regarding the Timberwolves’ players and the lack of a winning mentality. It was a savage conversation where he went unplugged. 

But Goran Dragic, Jimmy’s kin, has a valid reason to back his friend’s attitude. He expressed, “That’s how Jimmy is. He will tell you straight to your face if you are not doing your job. Everybody in this team understands. Maybe in his previous teams, players were a little sensitive, and maybe because of that, they had problems with Jimmy. Nobody in our team had this problem. He is a great leader on the court and a competitive guy. With him, basically, we made the Finals.”

So clearly, the 31-YO is like a coconut that can hit hard but can also shower benefits if handled with care. At least, Erik Spoelstra and his men have got their way to deal with hot-headed Jimmy to work for the team’s benefit.