As the NBA creeps closer to a return, a few players have been violating the rules of the league’s bubble environment.
It looked like Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler may have been one of those players when security personnel was sent to his hotel room, according to TNT’s Chris Haynes.
As it turns out, Butler was simply putting in some work.
“Last week, during the quarantine period, the hotel that the Miami Heat were staying at, a security guard received a complaint of disturbance,” said Haynes. “There was a loud thumping going on. So sources told me that the security guard went over to investigate, found the room, knocked on the room and who opened the door? It was Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler, drenched in sweat with the practice gear on from head to toe. He was dribbling a basketball throughout his room the whole time. So even during the quarantine period, Jimmy Butler was still getting his practice session in.”
Butler has been the centerpiece of the Heat’s surprising resurgence this season. So far in 2019-20, he’s averaging 20.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.7 steals per game.
The Heat acquired him a year ago in a blockbuster four-team trade in which they gave up Hassan Whiteside, promising young guard Josh Richardson and a 2023 first-round draft pick.
Butler has a history of rubbing people the wrong way with his tough-love style of leadership, but one can’t deny his work ethic and dedication.
He has also continued to shine as one of the NBA’s best clutch players, as he ranks 10th in points per game in the clutch this season.
NBA.com defines clutch as any time in the last five minutes of a game when the point differential is five or less.