Jimmy Butler doesn’t like what he’s seen from the Timberwolves in his absence due to injury. After participating in full practice Tuesday, Butler—who’s recovering from a knee surgery that’s had him out since late February—shared his less-than-impressed thoughts on his team’s toughness via the ‘Wolves official website:
We gotta get tougher. We gotta play like some dogs, with a sense of urgency. Teams just do whatever they want against us. I don’t like it but there ain’t no coach in the world that can make somebody play hard, ain’t no coach in the world that can make anybody want it. Everybody’s playing in the fight of their life, we gotta realize that and as a whole go out there and be the tougher team every single night, every single possession.
Not exactly calling them ‘soft like Charmin’ a la Kobe Bryant but it’s clear that Butler doesn’t think his teammates are hungry enough.
His comments aren’t exactly out of line considering Minnesota is 26th in the league in defensive efficiency this year. They are visibly struggling without him and there are no guarantees that even if they make the postseason, Butler will be healthy enough to play. It remains to be seen if his chastising bolsters the team’s intensity while they await his full time return.