Jimmy Butler and the Ripple Effect of Intangibles
In my book Finding Intangibles, I wrote about the ripple effect that the intangibles of certain players can have on their team’s environment, behavior and culture. This becomes especially potent when teams can align their culture’s values with the character traits of the star players. Any fan can sense how Steph Curry, and by extension the Warriors’ team, plays the game with absolute joy, one of four core values that power Golden State’s team culture.
The same effect is happening with the Miami Heat, where competitiveness has long been a staple of HEAT culture through the years. And no player has displayed competitiveness in the NBA this decade quite like Jimmy Butler, where his intense desire to win and challenge those around him to meet his competitiveness has gotten him run out of Minnesota and Philadelphia. But the ‘trash’ of those organizations has been Miami’s treasure, with Butler being a perfect fit to match the intensity of his coach and the organization’s burning desire to win.
Spoelstra talked about this ripple effect that Butler has on the team in his post-game press conference Wednesday night after the eighth-seeded Heat eliminated the title-favorite Bucks in their first round playoff series.
Erik Spoelstra on the Ripple Effect of Intangibles with Jimmy Butler
“I respect him so much as being such a unique, world-class competitor. A lot of guys play basketball in this league. He competes to win. That’s a different language. And he’s desperate, urgent, and maniacal, and sometime psychotic, about the will to try and win. And he’ll make everybody in the building feel it. And that’s why he is us, and we are him. And that’s the way we operate as well.”
Check out Spoelstra’s full post-game interview remarks below about Butler here at the 7:30 mark .
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