The Miami Heat are one of the teams to beat in the NBA right now and Jimmy Butler's ruthless leadership has a lot to do with it. He's led by example on and off the court and the team's roster has meshed even more during their time in the bubble in Orlando.
Butler has a reputation for being an alpha dog. He'll call you out if he doesn't feel like you're giving a 110% effort every single night, and demands you to do the same to him. He's that kind of leader and his locker room presence hasn't always been welcome.
However, it seems like he was tailor-made for Erik Spoelstra, Pat Riley, and the culture they've developed in the Miami Heat organization over the past couple of years. That's why he didn't hesitate to ditch the Philadelphia 76ers and create a superteam of his own at South Beach.
Jimmy Butler is 100% focused on getting the job done and he made damn sure to live up to that kind of reputation when he was asked why he chose not to invite any friends or family to the bubble for the remainder of the season.
Jimmy Butler explains why he didn't invite his family to the NBA bubble
"This is a business trip for me", Butler responded. He said that he respected everyone's decision to let their family into the NBA bubble but that he was completely focused on working and didn't one any kind of distractions.
Well, so far so good for Jimmy Buckets. He torched the Milwaukee Bucks for 40 points and dominated every single aspect of the game en route to a Game 1 upset vs. the top-seeded team in the Eastern Conference.
Even though the Miami Heat put together an impressive core with multiple guys that are capable of stepping up when needed, they'll only go as far as Jimmy Butler can take them, and he knows that. That's leadership.
