Miami Heat: Jimmy Butler wins first Player Of The Week honor in Heat jersey
The Miami Heat are off to a great start this season behind Jimmy Butler. He recently picked up his first NBA Player Of The Week honor of his Miami tenure.
Just six weeks into Jimmy Butler’s tenure with the Miami Heat, he has come up with the Player Of The Week award. Being named the Eastern conference’s recipient this past Monday checks yet another item off his list of accomplishments, as a Heat player hasn’t held the title since Hassan Whiteside did it back in March of the 2016-17 season.
Jimmy Butler is doing everything he can to make sure he is completing the max player checklist. Believe it or not, it’s leading to wins and overall team success without a fully healthy roster.
Butler signed a four year, $140 million contract this summer to become “the guy” here in Miami, and he has done just that. In an interview with Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang Butler said, “I want other teams to hate us, not want to play Miami.”
That’s precisely what a max player is supposed to do. Strike fear into their opponents. When your team is going against the likes of Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, or Rudy Gobert, you know they have their work cut out for them.
As a fan, you want your team to win, but you’re also nervous to see the outcome. The players always say they’re not scared, but their actions and performances against these players say otherwise most nights.
Jimmy Butler has added himself and by association, his team, to this list. The guys mentioned above make you nervous for various reasons, but Butler has sort of an unorthodox method.
While the aforementioned players make you nervous because of their direct impact on the game e.g., Hardens trips to the foul line, Curry’s unlimited range, or Giannis’ drives to the basket, Butler makes teams nervous because of what he encourages his teammates to do. His work hard play hard attitude enables a belief in the players and coaching staff that they can execute whatever game plan necessary to get the job done.