Miami Heat veteran Jimmy Butler used social media to troll DeMar DeRozan, who’s having another solid year with his new team, the Chicago Bulls.
Butler’s comment seems to be a show of support for the 32-year-old DeRozan, who’s had to deal with criticism about whether he is still capable of performing at a high level.
The early returns for DeRozan appear to be a strong endorsement for his continued success, with the veteran averaging 25.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game this season.
Back in August, the Bulls completed a sign-and-trade deal to acquire DeRozan, who’s in the first season of a three-year deal that’s set to pay him $81.9 million. The aforementioned critics undoubtedly felt that paying him that steep amount of money wasn’t worth the investment.
The Bulls currently have the third-best record in the Eastern Conference at 8-4, with DeRozan serving as a key piece of that early success.
Butler has obviously taken notice of the disdain that DeRozan has had to deal with since the Heat star has often used similar criticism to fuel his own success.
In Butler’s first season with the Heat during the 2019-20 campaign, he helped the underdog team reach the NBA Finals. This season, the Heat won seven of their first nine games.
Butler and DeRozan have yet to meet on the court this season, with the first matchup between the Heat and Bulls set to take place on Nov. 27 in Chicago. At that time, Butler may offer some in-game commentary to DeRozan, though the two veterans will be all business during the course of the contest.
