Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat notched 30 points in the first half against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night. Those 30 points in one half matched a feat not done by a Heat player since LeBron James was taking Miami to the NBA Finals every season:
Jimmy Butler is the first Heat player with a 30-point half since LeBron James in 2014. pic.twitter.com/DWNLAUHrc6
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 8, 2019
Butler joined the Heat this offseason after a tumultuous season last year with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Philadelphia 76ers. It was clear that Butler valued the Heat culture, and so far, in the early goings of the season, that trust has paid off as the Heat look extremely threatening in the Eastern Conference.
Any time you are on a list with the King, that’s good company, and even though James was only on the Heat for four seasons, those years were extremely action-packed and successful for Miami. They went to the Final every year – winning twice – and James was, arguably, in his peak as he galloped to being the team’s second all-time player in win shares per Basketball Reference with 64.9.
Though it will likely take Jimmy Buckets a bit longer to match that lofty total, he is off to a pretty great start. Through 4 games this season, Butler was averaging 15.0 points per game, 7.0 rebounds per game, 6.5 assists per game, 3.8 steals per game and 1.0 blocks per game, according to Basketball Reference. All of those (except for points) are career-highs and those 3.8 steals per game are tops in the entire league.
The Heat look to be a formidable team this season, but will they reach the promised land – as James’s Heat squads did a few years ago?
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