Miami Heat‘s Jimmy Butler is amped for the 2020-2021 NBA Season to get underway, and despite leading his team to the Finals a mere two months ago, the five-time All-Star is “not content.” In fact, he will not be content until one thing happens.
“I haven’t won anything worth saying I’ve won,” the 31-year-old revealed to the media on December 15. “I think I have a long way to go. My team has a long way to go. So whenever I win it, then you can ask me that question next year.”
Butler, who’s entering his 10th season in the NBA, has just one goal for himself and his Heat teammates: “To win. That’s it, to win.”
Butler Isn’t Looking for the Heat to Be a 1-Man Show, ‘I’m Making Everybody Around Me Better’
While the 6’7 forward is confident of his talent, Butler is also confident that his teammates can step it up to make it happen. He said:
I know that I’m capable of it. I know with the guys that they put around me that I’m capable of it. Now I’ve just got to go out and do my part, make sure that I get better. Make sure that I’m making everybody around me better, and win. That’s it. I know that I can make that happen. I know with the group of guys that we have, that we can make this happen. So, that’s it. That’s what I expect of myself, everybody else, the coaches, the organization, is to win.
Butler also isn’t depending on the Heat trading for James Harden in order to win. After “liking” Harden’s post about preferring a trade to South Beach, Butler clarified his statements during an interview with The Jump‘s Rachel Nichols.
That’s an interesting like
“There’s a lot of stuff always in the media,” Butler said. “He’s a hell of a player. I like the group we have. I just want the guy to be happy. That’s what life is about, what the game is about. So what? I like the post. I like James. He’s a friend of mine. I just want him to be happy.”
Butler Has a Strong Message to Analysts With Low Expectations for the Heat This Season
With most of the Heat’s roster intact from their run against the Los Angeles Lakers during the NBA Finals, Butler continues to have faith they can return to the Championship once more. As for analysts’ low expectations for the Miami franchise to pull off back-to-back appearances, Butler “doesn’t give a damn.”
Also, the NBA doesn’t appreciate hearing how the Heat might be able to “sneak up” on teams. “I would like to think that we got some decent players on this team, where we shouldn’t be able to sneak up on anybody,” Butler said. “We’ve got guys that can play. We’ve got guys that can guard, that can pass, obviously can put the ball in the bucket. I don’t think we should sneak up on anybody.”
Despite the Heat becoming the first team seeded fifth or lower to make it to the Finals since 1999, “I don’t think last year you could say that we were sneaking up on anybody,” Butler continued.
“We’ve got individuals that can play. I don’t give a damn. Bam [Adebayo] is learning he better not give a damn either. We’re going to compete. We ain’t sneaking up on anybody. Everybody is gonna know when they go up against the Heat what they’re going up against.”
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Heat’s Jimmy Butler Only Has 1 Goal This Season: ‘To Win. That’s It.’