Which version of Jimmy Butler do the Miami Heat need in the playoffs?

Jimmy Butler knows the Miami Heat are his team and the challenge in front of him is similar to that of 2020 – make the NBA finals by any means necessary. The major difference (and upgrade) this year is the addition of Kyle Lowry and the major improvements of Tyler Herro, among other role players.

So the main goal is set, but how can Butler prepare himself and become the best version of himself for the NBA playoffs? Which version of Butler do the Heat need?

Which version of Jimmy Butler do the Miami Heat need in the playoffs?

A facilitator first, that’s an area that Butler has taken pride in. And during a long regular season of 82 games, that is an ideal skill to have. Now that playoff seeding implications are on the line and the postseason is inching closer, things might have to change.

As an attacker off the ball, when he is not bringing it down the floor, Butler has excelled in identifying where the tight spots are. While continuing to do this, he will also allow both Lowry and Bam Adebayo to work on their pick and roll with shooters on the side.

This will stretch the floor and allow Butler to slide under the post or set up for a mid-range jumper. This isn’t to say it hasn’t been done before, but this needs to be the game plan right off the bat when they come out swinging. Divide attention and set up shooters.

By playing Butler off the ball, the Heat are able to rearrange the offense with his spots. Lowry leads the way as a floor general, Adebayo sets up his post offense or sets the pick and roll, while wings (usually Herro, Max Strus, Gabe Vincent, Duncan Robinson, or even Caleb Martin) run around freeing themselves from the defense to find their sweet-shooting spot.

The main issue is that Butler sometimes takes it upon himself to become the facilitator for the majority of the game, which is completely fine, since basketball is a team sport. This Heat team has the depth for any role player or starter to flourish. But in crucial moments, he needs to take it upon himself to break that mold and simply take over. That is where his aggressive ISO tempo comes into play.

In Games 3 and 6 of the 2020 NBA Finals, Jimmy took control and took it upon himself to lead the way. He finished with 40 and 35 points in close to 45 minutes of action in those two contests.

Butler elevated his game when the time was right and gave us a historic NBA Finals performance. He averaged 26.2 points, 9.8 assists, and 8.3 rebounds in six games in those Finals. They came up short, but the performance left us with joy and high expectations for the following years.

Fast forward to this week, and it seems Jimmy is back on track to shed off his civilian clothes and cape up for the playoffs. Dust off that horrendous four-game losing streak and fall in line for what comes next- the NBA Playoffs.

While Jimmy hasn’t done much to make any of Heat Nation doubt him, he will definitely need to split roles when Round 1 of the playoffs comes into action. If he can allow himself to make that hard shift to his dominant self when the time is right, this Heat team will be very hard to beat.