Just five games into the season, the Minnesota Timberwolves are quickly learning how valuable newcomer Jimmy Butler is to their success.
While Butler sat out consecutive games because of an upper-respiratory infection, Minnesota endured blowout losses on back-to-back nights.
Even though Butler wasn’t scoring at a high rate, he helped the Timberwolves win two of their first three games, including buzzer-beating win in Oklahoma City on Sunday.
The first game this season between the teams provided plenty of highlights as Minnesota won on Wiggins' dramatic shot from near half-court.
Early in his first season with Minnesota, Butler has deferred some of the scoring load to Wiggins and Towns but still serves as a stabilizing factor on the court.
"Of course, we miss Jimmy," Gibson told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "Of course, we're going to need Jimmy to win games. But we have more than enough to get the job done.
"I've been in this league a long time. I've won games with less than the talent we have in here. It's all about believing and coming together. We're still a young group. We're still trying to work the kinks out. But we'll get there. I promise we'll get there."
Butler could return Friday as the Minnesota and the Thunder meet again at the Target Center.
