Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra praised Jimmy Butler following Miami’s do-or-die victory over the Lakers in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Friday.
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“His will to win is remarkable,” Spoelstra said. “To do that in 47-plus minutes, and take the challenge on the other end? Every young player coming into the League should study footage on Jimmy Butler, the definition of a two-way player, competing on both ends.”
Butler has indeed been tremendous for the Heat, averaging 29.0 points, 10.2 assists, 8.6 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game in his first-ever Finals appearance. Butler is getting it done on both ends, taking the challenge of guarding LeBron James and matching his output on the offensive end.
Despite it being his first season with Miami, Butler has embodied the franchise’s culture in a way that may only be matched by Heat lifer Udonis Haslem.
Refusing to be rattled by the pressure of the moment, Butler continues to defy the odds, and that’s a quality that all young hoopers should try to embody.
