Time and time again, Jimmy Butler proves to the NBA world that he is one of the best players in the league. Despite what may happen in the regular season, the Miami Heat star always turns his game up another level in the postseason and he's done so once again this year.

From scoring 56 points in the first-round against the Milwaukee Bucks to averaging nearly 25.0 points per game against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Heat would not be in the NBA Finals right now against the Denver Nuggets if it wasn't for Butler.

However, as good as Butler is, his play still draws criticism and this time, the critique is coming from ESPN's Stephen A. Smith. Recently discussing Miami's chances to defeat the Nuggets and claim a championship on First Take, Smith stated that Butler cannot be the best player on a championship team.

“You think about superstars and what we usually get from those superstars in terms of offensive production, that's not Jimmy,” Smith said. “Jimmy is a star, make no mistake about it, and he's a closer, make no mistake about it, but as JJ Redick pointed out the other day, a lot of his success is predicated on his ability to get to the free-throw line. Well you know what, you know what it takes to get to the free-throw line? It's not just about fouls, it's about fouls getting called
 When your success is so predicated on that component, I don't think it bolds well for that to be the way that be a leading individual leading you to a championship.”

So far in the NBA Finals, Butler has struggled for the most part compared to what we are accustomed to seeing, as he is averaging 20.7 points and 6.7 assists per game while shooting 42.1 percent from the floor against Denver. He recently had his best game of the series in Miami's Game 3 loss, as Butler went for 28 points on 11-24 shooting, his highest scoring performance in the Finals this year.

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“What I am saying is it's not that he's not great, it's not that he can't produce for you, but usually when you want to win a championship, Jimmy Butler is usually that second-tier star, as opposed to that preeminent star that leads you to that promise land on the offensive-side of the ball,” Smith continued. “It's usually someone more potent than him that pulls it off, a la Steph [Curry] or Kevin Durant or a LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard in Toronto.”

The claim that Butler cannot be the star of a championship team is certainly a little insulting to Miami's All-Star, especially since he is the main reason why they even made the playoffs to begin with. Even though many continue to drag his name through the mud, Butler truly does not care and his mindset heading into Game 4 remains the same as it has been all season long.

Trailing the Nuggets 2-1 in the NBA Finals, the Heat will be looking to even this series up on Friday night on their home floor.