Why the Miami Heat shouldn’t wait until 2021 to get a co-star for Jimmy Butler

The Miami Heat are currently expected to wait until the 2021 offseason to get a co-star for Jimmy Butler. Here’s why they should move up the timetable.

There’s a growing sentiment around the league that the Miami Heat will wait until 2021 offseason to put a premier player alongside Jimmy Butler. Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald stated back in May that the Heat passed on the chance to acquire Danilo Gallinari at the deadline because he wanted an extension that would have compromised their cap space for 2021.

But should the Miami Heat wait until the 2021 offseason to acquire a co-star for Butler? No, because of the deterioration of Butler’s offensive skill set and his injury history. Butler used to have a diverse offensive skill set before being traded to Philadelphia in 2018.

Let’s explain.

The deterioration of Jimmy Butler’s offensive skillset

Butler attacked the basket 9.5 times per game over 5+ seasons. The drives helped him shoot 60.7 percent from the field on 4.9 shot attempts within 5 feet from the basket. The field goal percentage helped him generate 6 points per game, 30.6 percent from his scoring output.

Butler complemented his production inside the paint by shooting 37.6 percent outside of 5 feet on 9.4 field goal attempts per game. The field goal percentage helped score 8.4 points per game, 43.1 percent of his scoring output.

Unfortunately, his shooting outside of 5 feet saw a significant decrease in January of 2019 as he suffered a sprained right wrist, which sidelined him for ten days. Upon Butler’s return to action, he shot 33.3 percent outside of 5 feet for the remainder of the regular season on 7.8 attempts per game, a 5.1 percent decrease from the first 2+ months of the season.

The field goal percentage helped him generate 5.9 points per game on shots outside of 5 feet, 32.2 percent of his scoring output

Butler’s shooting struggles have continued this season as he shot 32.9 percent outside of 5 feet on 7.6 attempts per game in the regular season. The field goal percentage helped him generate 5.5 points per game on shots outside of 5 feet, 27.6 percent of his scoring output

Consequently, opponents can afford to focus on one area of the floor when designing a game plan to neutralize Butler, within 5 feet of the basket. Butler shot 62.7 percent within 5 feet on 5.4 field goal attempts per game during the regular season. The field goal percentage helped him score 6.8 points per game, 34.2 percent from his scoring output.

Butler’s skill deterioration should increase the urgency to win a championship immediately. This is because if Butler loses some of his strength and/or athleticism over the next year, he will no longer have the same success within 5 feet of the basket, making him ineffective.

Jimmy Butler’s inability to stay healthy

Butler also has an extensive injury history as he has missed 108 regular-season games in the past 8 seasons with various injuries, 16.7 percent of total regular-season games. For example, Butler grabbed an offensive rebound in a road game against Houston in February of 2018.

After grabbing the rebound, he collapsed in the process of passing the basketball to Taj Gibson. Butler would end up leaving the game and be diagnosed with a torn meniscus in the right knee. The injury would sideline him for 17 regular-season games, 20.7 percent of Minnesota’s regular-season games.

Butler’s tracking record suggests is bound to have another significant injury during his career. Consequently, the organization shouldn’t take next season for granted and bring in some more pieces to win a championship as they do not know if Butler will be fully healthy in 2021.

In conclusion, if Miami chooses to wait until 2021 to acquire another star, evidence indicates that Butler will further deteriorate, diminishing the likelihood of winning a championship.