When Jimmy Butler took over a Timberwolves practice in 2018-19, it was one of the most infamous moments in franchise history. Siding with a team of reserves, Butler destroyed the starters including Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns and screamed: “You can’t win without me.”
It would be understandable if Wolves fans imagined Butler draining bucket after bucket when it comes to this scrimmage, but speaking on the Instagram Live series A Touch More, he revealed that he only scored once.
https://twitter.com/WorldWideWob/status/1256762864733429760
Butler’s answer confirms what ex-teammate Derek Rose said in his autobiography I’ll Show You.
“Scored one time in that practice they were all writing about,” Rose said per Michael Rand of the Star Tribune. “Yes, one basket. Right hand up to God. What’s so exciting about that? But the media is going crazy. You would think he scored 30.”
While Butler didn’t do much scoring, it’s possible he was doing other things such as shutting down Wiggins or trying to trigger Towns in the post.
Adrian Wojnarowski’s report for ESPN noted the two had talked trash in the scrimmage, and the hard feelings may not have gone away when co-hosts Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe asked if he would rather jump in a boat with 76ers center Joel Embid or Towns.
Butler responded “Embid” instantly, but the correct answer is that jumping in a boat with Butler isn’t the greatest idea.
The mercurial forward was a key piece of the only team in Wolves history to reach the playoffs without Kevin Garnett and with a 51-82 record since the trade (and 19-45 this season), it appears that Butler’s assessment may have been right.
