Even before Jimmy Butler landed on South Beach, the Miami Heat and Butler were a match made in heaven. Butler has guided the Miami Heat to two NBA Finals and one Eastern Conference Final in his four seasons wearing a Miami jersey.
More recently, he defeated the best of the East in upset after upset to advance a Play-In 8th seed to the NBA Finals.
Against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, the Heat’s historic playoff journey came to an end in 5 games.
Butler, a recurring All-Star, was selected to the All-NBA squad last year.
In the final two games of Miami’s playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks, which saw Miami eliminate the top overall seed in five games, he scored a combined total of almost 90 points.
Butler alerted everyone that he is in fact “him” and “that guy” with a 56 point outburst in game 4 at the Kaseya Center.
Butler recently went on a tour and was interviewed in China, but the Heat’s offseason is currently at a halt because of Damian Lillard’s request for a trade.
In that interview he had several standout quotes, including that he “doesn’t plan on playing for another NBA team after the Miami Heat.”
Every fanbase would want more from its franchise player, and these quotes deliver.
Heat Nation is aware of the extra effort this man makes behind the scenes to keep getting better even at the age of 33.
On the court, Jimmy Butler is a hound and the alpha, especially during crucial games and situations. He finished second in the league’s inaugural Clutch Player of the Year competition this past season.
Nobody should have any doubts about this man’s ability to guide this squad to its fourth franchise championship.
Everyone is aware of what Butler is capable of when surrounded by the right players in a playoff setting.
He may be in a title window of two to three years where he can be the offensive star, or at least one of them.
Time has come. Even so, this group definitely possesses the coaching, culture, and formula to be able to win a title. It is yet unclear if reinforcements (Lillard) are on the way.
Butler has demonstrated a lot over his career, but a title would be the one item missing from his résumé.
Only time will tell if that is actually possible, but with a player like Butler on the roster, this Heat team should be competitive for a number of more years.