Why a character like Jimmy Butler is good for the NBA

How would you describe Jimmy Butler in one word? Some would say 'talented', some 'competitive', but the most popular answer would probably be 'controversial'.

Butler is currently living his best life in South Beach and thinks his fit there is a match made in heaven. At halfway point, he has led the Heat to a second seed in the East with a largely inexperienced but talented roster around him. Whether or not they can sustain this level of play for the rest of the season, there's no doubt the Miami Heat are among the most fun teams to watch this season.

Always in the news

Although Butler's been a multiple-time All-Star and is one of the best finishers in the game today, he's often in the news for the things that he does off the court.

This summer, he took 'being early to the gym' to another level when he arrived at 3:30 AM for a practice that was supposed to start at 10 AM to 'set an example' for his teammates.

Last week, Jimmy Buckets was in the news again after things got ugly between him and T.J. Warren. After the game, not only did Butler call T.J. 'trash', but also told the world to mark their calendars for the next matchup between Miami and Indiana.

Unmatched self-esteem

What separates Butler from the rest of the players is his unmatched confidence in himself and his competitive spirit. He never backs down from a challenge, always guards the best player on the other team, and always shows up in clutch moments for his team.

This tweet from NBA expert Rob Perez perfectly sums up Butler's character:

Jimmy Butler's confidence is truly inexplicable. i swear if he went 1-on-1 with prime Michael Jordan he would check ball and offer spotting him a couple points to make it fair.

— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) January 9, 2020

Why is he good for the league?

So how does being controversial help the league? Well, aside from the fact that it provides great entertainment for the fans, it helps in keeping a lot of 'unimportant' things relevant.

In a time where the media is always obsessed about LeBron James's Instagram stories, Giannis Antetokounmpo's jump shots and Kevin Durant's tweets, Butler has us looking forward to games that we never thought we would watch. If someone told you last month that one of the most anticipated matches of the season would be Miami Heat vs Indiana Pacers, you'd have dismissed it as a joke. But that's not the case anymore, thanks to Jimmy.

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