Jimmy ‘best player in the league’ Butler back. Heat wants to keep him feeling ‘youthful’
One of the Miami Heat’s biggest goals this season is to have six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler play in as many games as possible. Keep Butler healthy, fresh and available.
Monday’s impressive 106-89 win over the struggling Philadelphia 76ers at Kaseya Center to begin a three-game homestand served as a reminder of why that’s high on the Heat’s to-do list.
After missing four straight games because of a sprained right ankle, the 35-year-old Butler was dominant in his return to help the Heat improve to 6-7 this season. He finished Monday’s victory with a season-high 30 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field, 1-of-1 shooting on threes, 13-of-13 shooting from the foul line to go with 10 rebounds, five assists and one steal in 34 minutes while posting an eye-opening plus/minus of plus-29.
“We know what the expectation is when he’s healthy,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Butler following the win. “... He really set the tone by imposing his physical will on the game.”
“When he’s healthy” are the most important three words in Spoelstra’s quote, as the Heat needs Butler on the court and at his best to reach its full potential.
That’s why Butler entered this season putting a bigger emphasis on his availability, saying during the preseason that “I want to play as many games as possible.” That’s why Heat president Pat Riley this past offseason challenged Butler to be available for more games.
“I feel great right now,” Butler said after making his return Monday, with the Heat now moving into a rare five-day break in the middle of its schedule leading into its next game on Sunday against the Dallas Mavericks at Kaseya Center. “But I was a little tired, I’m not going to lie. I’m a little out of shape maybe, but we have a couple days to get back into that.”
Butler missed four of the Heat’s first 12 games this season before returning on Monday. He has missed 20 or more regular-season games in three of the last four seasons because of injuries and other reasons.
“I’m glad I get to hoop again, compete with my guys,” Butler said following the Heat’s win over the 76ers. “This guy right here [Heat guard Tyler Herro] has been holding it down for us these first couple of games. I just want to be there to help make it easier for him a little bit. I think we’re all starting to get into a rhythm and we’re going to win a couple in a row.”
But the Heat doesn’t just need an available Butler in his 14th NBA season, it also needs an aggressive and attacking Butler when he’s on the court.
Monday represented Butler’s best performance of the season, asserting himself on the offensive end from the start. He drew nine fouls on the 76ers after drawing nine or more fouls in just five games last season.
“When Jimmy feels good physically and fresh, he’s going to get to the free-throw line,” Spoelstra said. “He’s going to create collisions, he’s not flopping. He’s putting his head down and he’s creating some action. But he’s also able to do it with the poise and savviness and experience to make the right play. He did that a bunch of times, where he got in there and found open shooters.”
Butler closed Monday’s game with his fourth-highest usage rate (an estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while on the court) of the season at 23.1 percent. In the nine games that Butler has played so far this season, the Heat has posted a 4-1 record when he posts a usage rate over 20 percent and an 0-4 record when his usage rate doesn’t cross 20 percent.
“I think I just did what I’m supposed to do at a decent level today,” Butler said after leading the Heat to a win in his return.
Butler, who can become a free agent this upcoming summer with a $52.4 million player option in his contract for next season, has now scored 30 or more points in 53 games (including the playoffs) since joining the Heat in the 2019 offseason. The Heat is 36-17 in those games.
“Jimmy is Jimmy,” 76ers star center Joel Embiid said after Monday’s game. “He does everything, scoring and passing the ball. … On both sides of the floor, he’s one of the best players in the NBA, probably top five, probably the best actually – the best player in the league.”
It’s not only about the points with Butler. He does a lot more than just score, but the key is keeping him fresh and healthy.
“We’ll keep him as physically youthful as we possibly can the rest of the year and utilize our depth to do that,” Spoelstra said.
AN UNUSUAL BREAK
The Heat’s five-day break between Monday’s home win over the 76ers and Sunday’s matchup against the Mavericks at Kaseya Center marks only the second time in franchise history that the Heat has had five or more days off in the middle of a season (not including All-Star break).
The only other time that the Heat had a five-day break in the middle of a season in franchise history, excluding All-Star breaks, came in January 2013.
This break comes at a good time for the Heat, which returned home to defeat the 76ers on Monday after a long six-game trip that spanned 12 days. The time off will also give two key Heat rotation players time to recover from injuries, as Jaime Jaquez Jr. (sprained right ankle) and Terry Rozier (right foot discomfort) missed Monday’s win over the 76ers.
Jaquez turned his ankle during Sunday’s loss to the Pacers in Indianapolis.
Rozier played through the discomfort in his right foot for a few games before informing the team about the issue after Sunday’s defeat. There is currently no MRI or X-ray scheduled for Rozier’s injured foot, according to a league source, which is an encouraging sign for his prognosis.
“It flared up last night,” Spoelstra said prior to Monday’s win when asked about Rozier’s foot injury. “He’s been dealing with it for some time. But after the game and on the flight, it didn’t really clear up this morning. But this should be a good week for him to be able to get treatment, get that right and keep moving forward. Hopefully it’s not a long-term thing.”
The Heat will take Tuesday and Wednesday off. Miami is expected to then hold a few practices during the break ahead of Sunday’s game against the Mavericks.
“It’s much needed,” Herro said of the break in the schedule. “I think everybody is going to take a couple days off, get some treatment and let their bodies recover. And then we’ll get right back to it and start preparing for the next stretch of games we have coming up.”
