Jimmy Butler has been at the absolute top of his game this postseason, helping the Miami Heat return to the Eastern Conference Finals in convincing fashion.
An interrupted season that ended in anguish and embarrassment – that was the summation of the Miami Heat at the conclusion of their 2020-21 NBA season. Following a momentous trip to The Finals the season prior, Jimmy Butler and the Heat were unable to rediscover the momentum and form that led them through The Bubble before ultimately coming up short.
The Jimmy Butler redemption tour continues with the Miami Heat
Due to a combination of an extremely short layoff and a fluctuating roster composition, the Heat could only manage to grab the sixth seed for their 2021 playoff run. As it turned out, the series was a disaster, with the team being swept 4-0 by the eventual NBA Champions, the Milwaukee Bucks. Just as disconcerting was the play of Butler, who was an absolute shell of himself, averaging just 14.5 points on an unthinkable 29.7 percent shooting.
Fast forward to now, and the script has completely flipped. After securing the one seed, the Heat knocked off the Atlanta Hawks 4-1 in the opening round and are now four wins away from their seventh trip to The Finals after their 4-2 series win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Jimmy Butler has taken the Miami Heat to the Conference Finals 2 out of his 3 seasons. Franchise player.
— Greg Sylvander (@GregSylvander) May 13, 2022
Through 10 playoff games (he missed one game versus the Hawks through injury), Butler is averaging 28.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 2.1 steals per game. To put this in context, through the opening 10 games of a postseason, only Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kawhi Leonard have previously recorded these numbers, per Stathead.
Additionally, Butler is shooting at an excellent 52.5 percent clip from the field and 80.8 percent from the free-throw line. But the biggest bonus, and something that began to take shape towards the end of the regular season, is his shooting from long range.
Thus far, Butler is shooting 36.4 percent from behind the three-point line on 4.4 attempts per contest. Through 49 games in the regular season, Butler attempted just 1.9 per game while converting at an anemic 18.5 percent clip.
Since then, the transformation has been remarkable, yet not totally unprecedented. In his five seasons prior to arriving in Miami, Butler shot at a serviceable 35.1 percent mark from long range on just over three attempts per game. But with some recent nudging from his teammates, he’s been replicating this. Recently, he explained his change of mindset in this area of his game:
"“Everybody is just getting on my nerves about shooting more threes, honestly. So I’m out there. I’m trying to tell you, my teammates and the coaches and everybody got so much confidence in me to score the ball and facilitate the ball and get a stop. I just be out there hooping. I don’t even realize that I’m really shooting the three. I’m just taking the shot that the defense gives me and they’ve been going in as of late.”"
Jimmy Butler couldn't believe it after he out-hustled Philly late in the 4th quarter to his own missed shot. pic.twitter.com/bmsjAYfGEt
— ESPN (@espn) May 13, 2022
But of course, the consistent theme through his career has been his output on the defensive end. Leading all players in steals and deflections this postseason, Butler has been dominant on both ends of the floor, with his ability to both shut down an opponent and help off the ball being an instrumental cog in the schemes led by head coach Erik Spoelstra.
Looking ahead, with the Boston Celtics forcing a Game 7 against the Bucks, Spoelstra and his coaching staff will be given additional time to formulate a potent strategy to lead his team to a series win. Armed with the knowledge of what they dealt with two seasons ago, Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat have positioned themselves to go one better this postseason.