• Jimmy Butler is clearly not tuning into the 2023 FIBA World Cup
• The Miami Heat star said he doesn’t care about the tournament
• Butler is a former Olympic Gold medalist with the 2016 Team USA roster
Former Olympian Jimmy Butler is enjoying his offseason. He has spent the last few months hanging out with soccer stars and watching tennis while also stoking the flames of ‘Damian Lillard to Miami’ rumors. When approached by a Serbian reporter at the 2023 US Open, Butler declined to talk about Team USA at the FIBA World Cup by declaring he doesn’t care about the tournament.
“I’m not making any statement here… I don’t care about the World Cup!”
Butler never represented Team USA at the FIBA World Cup but did play in the 2016 Olympics. He struggled under FIBA rules and averaged just 5.6 points per game on 34.2% shooting from the field.
Regardless, he has an Olympic Gold at home by playing for Team USA in a competition that’s considered the most prestigious in international basketball.
Team USA Looking Shaky At The World Cup
Team USA was hoping to extinguish the flames of a disappointing seventh-place finish at the 2019 World Cup this year. To avoid that fate, they must win their quarterfinal match with Italy tomorrow morning. They’re coming off a shocking loss to Lithuania in the second round but can still win their remaining games to earn the Gold.
The selected roster was heavily criticized for the lack of stars that elected to play for the tournament. Echoing the same sentiment as Butler, it seems not many people care for the competition. The 2019 World Cup team was one of the worst in modern history, as most NBA players declined to go, and a weak roster was sent.
The roster this time isn’t as weak as the one from 2019, but needs more than just Anthony Edwards to consistently succeed against national teams that excel in FIBA play.
Jimmy Butler Chasing A Championship
The Miami Heat have made two NBA Finals appearances in four seasons with Jimmy Butler. They also made it to seven games in an Eastern Conference Finals in this era, showing that the team has been a force in the playoffs. After their Finals run last season, the team has lost various rotation players in the summer.
Max Strus is on the Cavaliers now, while Gabe Vincent is playing for the Lakers. The team hasn’t really replaced them, clearly waiting to see if they can complete a Damian Lillard trade before that. Given the success they’ve had in the Butler era, the team needs to go all-in as soon as possible to maximize this window for the already 33-year-old Butler.
Butler averaged 26.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists in the playoffs and doesn’t have many seasons left in his athletic prime. Chasing Lillard, who’s a similar age as Butler and equally hungry to win a title, makes perfect sense. It’s just a question of whether they can get the deal done before training camp or will head into the regular season with a thin roster that could be headed for the play-in once again.
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