Miami Heat: Counting down the 5 best things from 2019-20 season

3. Jimmy Butler’s positive impact

The addition of Jimmy Butler making Miami a better team wasn’t a big surprise. The general consensus was that Miami would certainly improve, just not by much. As the All-Star forward joined his third team in three years, many speculated that he wouldn’t be enough to propel this team very far.

Although plenty of other players are responsible for the Heat soaring past their expectations, Butler is one of the biggest reasons for it.

The 30-year-old wing leads Miami in scoring at 20.2 points per game, assists per game at 6.1 and steals per game at 1.7, which ranks tied-for-sixth in the league. His assists per game and rebounds per game (6.6) are career highs.

Butler’s shot creation helped Miami improve its offense, going from the 26th ranked offense last season to the 6th ranked offense this year. The Miami Heat’s offensive rating increased by 4.1 points when Butler is on the floor. His defense hasn’t dipped either, though he hasn’t been able to save Miami from mediocrity, as their defense ranks 12th this season

The primary measure for Butler’s impact the Heat is how well he and the team performed in the playoffs. Now that the season is suspended, that won’t happen for a while. Whenever play resumes, Butler will get the chance to prove himself as a liable top option on a playoff team.

Regardless, Butler has helped revitalize the Heat. He’s been one of the leaders of a bounce-back season while being named to his fifth All-Star team.