Former Bull Jimmy Butler reminds his old franchise of what they aren’t

The ball moved on offense without a sniff of selfishness as the Heat snacked on loose balls and dined on defense Friday night.

They’re currently everything the Bulls want to be but aren’t — both on the court and off of it.

No wonder Bulls coach Jim Boylen gave Heat forward Jimmy Butler a long hug when he ran into the former Bulls All-Star before the game: Boylen was reminded of what a hard-playing, talented, two-way player looks like.

In yet another embarrassing display in a season starting to fill up with them, the Bulls sleepwalked through a first quarter in which they were outscored 34-16, eventually losing 116-108 to drop to 5-11.

They’ve now played six teams with records above .500 this season and have gone 0-6.

It’s not just a tale of two very different teams, but a tale of two very different organizations.

“[It’s] the culture,’’ said Butler, who had stints with the Timberwolves and 76ers before landing with the Heat this past offseason. “I feel like everybody plays so hard. And the young guys ask to be led. You tell them something, and they want more.”

While Friday wasn’t Butler’s first return to the United Center, it was his first as a member of the once-despised Heat after he helped take the Timberwolves and 76ers to the playoffs following his draft-night trade in 2017 — the start of the Bulls’ ongoing rebuild.

With Butler, the Heat are now 11-3 and also looking very much playoff-bound. Not bad for a guy who has been portrayed as a bad locker room leader.

“Jimmy is a leader,” Boylen said. “He holds himself to the highest standard that I’ve seen in this league, and the great players I’ve been around do that. When you don’t win or play well, he’s going to take the ownership of that, and he’s going to let you know that you have to do better. That’s what he does. But the thing about his leadership is he’s harder on himself than anybody.”

Boylen didn’t think it was much of a coincidence that Butler-led teams reach the postseason.

“He’s a warrior,” Boylen said. “Some guys disappear in the fourth quarter. He does not. He’s not scared of the big moments. I think that’s one of the reasons he’s been on those playoff teams — because he makes sure that when it’s time to get something solid, he gets it.”

That’s the opposite of what the Bulls seem to have. Their bench contributed to 41 points in the fourth quarter Friday to add some intrigue, but the game seemed to be decided out of the gate when the Heat jumped out with a 15-0 run.

It was so bad that Boylen pulled guard Zach LaVine just 3½ minutes into the game.

“I thought he needed to come in and think about it,” Boylen said. “He had three egregious defensive mistakes. . . . Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen and our starters have to play better. That’s how it works.”

Boylen called the slow start frustrating.

“It’s not right, and, yeah, it bothers me,” he said.

He wasn’t the only one bothered. Asked if he felt singled out by the quick hook, LaVine said, “If you just pull me, yeah.”