Joakim Noah Says Miami Heat Forward Jimmy Butler Made Incredible Sacrifices During Offseason
Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler is one of the most talented players in the NBA.
But it is by accident.
In a recent episode of the Pardon My Take podcast, former NBA player Joakim Noah talked about Butler’s insane work ethic during the offseasons.
“You know, the sacrifices that he made in the summers were just unbelievable,” said Noah, who played with Butler on the Chicago Bulls from 2011-2016. “I mean, people don’t know this but he was going whole summers, no TV.”
Butler’s reason for being so motivated comes from his early days. After being a late draft pick and averaging single-figure points in his first two years, most players would become discouraged.
Not Butler. Instead, he used it as motivation and it shows up in the results. Last season, he led the Heat to the Finals where they lost to the Denver Nuggets. But he put on an amazing show. He averaged 26 points, including a 56-point performance in Game 4 of the first round against the Milwaukee Bucks.
But there are some people who mistake his highly-driven personality for aggressiveness. During the 2018-19 season, he played with the Minnesota Timberwolves but there were constant tensions. On Oct. 10, 2018, a practice was being held but instead of participating in it, Butler challenged the starters to play a game against him and the role players, resulting in him calling his teammates out. It was reported the incident was why it was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Regardless of how some may feel, his drive for greatness can’t be denied.
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Cory Nelson is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson. You can also check out his personal blog HERE.
