The Miami Heat are losing games and their star player is unhappy. The team got beat by the Minnesota Timberwolves by a score of 119-111 on Friday. Jimmy Butler led the Heat with 30 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists. Outside of Trevor Ariza, there wasn’t enough help. After calling the team’s effort “soft”, Butler turned his focus into his running mate Bam Adebayo.
“I want Bam to attack the rim because nobody can stay in front of him,” Butler said. “Nobody can stay in front of him. Go. You’re going to get fouled or you’re going to dunk on somebody. That’s cool. I love him shooting midrange jump shots too, but he lets people off the hook. Play bully ball. I like bully ball.”
In other words, Butler wants his teammate to be more aggressive. During Friday’s loss against Minnesota, Adebayo only took eight shots. He finished the game with 17 points, four rebounds, and four assists. Although he shot a good percentage, Miami needs more shot attempts from him. As Butler mentioned, if Bam is more aggressive, then he’s likely going to get fouled or dunk on someone.
Is Butler Right?
While Butler’s opinion may seem harsh to some, he means well. It’s why he fits perfectly in a Heat culture that’s all about grit and accountability. Butler knows how talented Adebayo is, and so does everyone else. We’ve seen flashes of it against the Brooklyn Nets twice when Butler was sidelined due to Covid-19. Back in January against the Nets, Adebayo had a career-high 41 points, five rebounds, and nine assists. He used his quickness against slower bigs and punished the small players that switched on him.
Ironically, the Heat play the Brooklyn Nets today. Hopefully, we’ll see the same aggressive Bam. Miami’s going to need all the help it can get in its playoff push.
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