What exactly makes a leader? What qualities do they possess? Do they provide an example for the rest of the group, or are they outspoken and hotheaded? Finding this balance is key for Jimmy Butler and the Minnesota Timberwolves coming into this upcoming season.
Butler, who has long had a reputation for being a sore loser, finds himself leading a group on young and talented players like Karl Anthony-Towns and Andrew Wiggins to a place that the T-Wolves haven’t been since George W. Bush was president: the postseason. But for Butler, merely making the playoffs isn’t enough. Nothing short of a championship will quench his competitive thirst.
According to The Vertical, “championship” was the last word uttered to Butler by team president and head coach Tom Thibodeau. With a championship being the aim of this franchise, Butler knew he had to change the leadership style he used in Chicago – no more brooding over losses, he’d have to be open to communicating with his teammates better this time.
Butler shared his struggles with the new leadership approach with The Vertical.
“You can’t abuse leadership,” Butler told The Vertical. “Know that everybody is always watching you. All eyes, all fingers, everything is going to be on you. It’s healthy. As much as you don’t want to mess up, we are going to make mistakes at times. And it’s OK because everybody makes mistakes. But you cannot continue to make the same mistake over and over and over again.
“These young guys do listen, but it’s going to be a process. I’m new, and Andrew [Wiggins], KAT [Karl-Anthony Towns] have been here. I can understand when someone else is coming in, and the culture is really going to change. I expect the same thing that Thibs expects, and we both do not expect to lose on any night, in anything. I’m another version of Thibs – I’m going to get his point across, the same way he’s getting it across, except I won’t be using as much cuss words and I won’t be yelling.
“Everybody looks at me. If I’m going 100 miles per hour, if I’m locking up on defense, if I’m sprinting back in transition. You got to use me as an example, because if I’m not doing it, everybody is going to look at it and say: ‘Jimmy isn’t doing it, why do I have to do it?’
Butler’s concerns do have merit, as this Timberwolves franchise hasn’t won 40 games since Kevin Love was playing for them. This team, on paper might scare a few teams in either conference due to the amount of sheer talent. However it’s up to the players to gel and mesh as a team quickly as the bottom half of the Western Conference got even deeper.
The Wolves figured to be in the second half of the conference, with teams like Portland getting healthy and Denver adding and retaining high priced free agents, making the playoffs isn’t a guarantee for this squad. Making the important question, can Butler tailor his leadership skills to whatever resonates with his younger, talented teammates so that a playoff run can be made? But the beauty of the slowly dwindling pre-season is the seeing if Butler can improve in terms of leadership. If they can keep it together, the playoffs aren’t only the goal.
