For the Miami hits, Jimmy Butler is their leader, their big-shot maker and close.
Since joining them two seasons ago, he has helped transform them from a midfielder to a team with a clear identity and has become one of the best in the NBA.
Butler has come a long way in the last few years.
When he was a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves, he accused his teammates, especially Carl-Anthony Towns, of being soft, and accused him of toxic effects.
But since joining Hit, he has become a sticky guy and is now considered a strong and productive leader.
As good as he has been late, why isn’t he considered a superstar?
This is ridiculous because of one of its best qualities.
Butler Team-Oriented to a Fault
The product of Marquette University is not your typical elite player who takes about 20 shots in a game and consistently imposes his will on his opponent.
Butler often spends his time in games, letting his teammates go and let him feel out of the game before deciding when to pose.
In the regular season, Butler takes just 14.5 shots per game, which is not a superstar component.
But when the chips go down, he becomes not only aggressive, but also defensively relentless.
Of the remaining 4 stars in these NBA playoffs, there is no one colder in the clutch than Jimmy Butler.
Play-off Jimmy is best to get a bucket and then get a stop player in the NBA. pic.twitter.com/qqyxnSZatF
– 3rd and Juan # Heatin6 (@ 3rdnJuan) May 18, 2022
The hit wins by slowing down and aggressively scattering resources, and perhaps if Butler takes more shots during a game, as he did several years ago when he was with the Chicago Bulls, it will disrupt the heat rhythm a bit. .
But his influence on the team is undeniable, and when one sees his net rating in this year’s playoffs, one has to admit that he may be underrated.
Jimmy Butler vs. Out-of-Court Hits Statistics During Play-Offs, Through PBP Status pic.twitter.com/ofHM9gRq6V
– Steph Noh (teStephNoh) May 13, 2022
In the 2020 playoffs, when Miami knocked out the top-seeded Milwaukee Box, Butler took just eight shots and scored 13 points in Game 2, but he made the final play when he drew a foul on Giannis Antetokunampo just before the end of the fourth quarter. And two free throws to give Miami an 116-114 win and a 2-0 lead in the series.
This year, he has been dynamite
In that 2020 playoff, Butler was great, but in this year’s post-season, he certainly played like a superstar.
The hit has risen against the Philadelphia 76ers and now some more talented team (at least on paper) in the Boston Celtics.
The Sixers vs. Hits had three games with at least 32 points to help them out in six games, and in Game 1 against Boston he exploded with 41 points, nine rebounds, five assists, four steals and three blocked shots.
Through 11 playoff games, he averaged 29.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game and led the NBA with 2.3 steals per game.
These are of course superstar numbers.
At this point in his career, Butler will not change his selfless-to-one-fault approach, and he certainly will not do so to please his critics, because he is a person who does not care what others think. Him.
The Heat could win the NBA Championship very well next month, but no matter what they do, Butler deserves a little more respect than his achievement.