As the upcoming NBA season is quickly approaching, all eyes will be on Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler and how he can lead the team going into his 14th season. Butler was a catalyst to the Heat's success as he led the team on a miraculous playoff run to the 2023 NBA Finals as an eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.
While they couldn't get the job done in the Finals and lost to the Denver Nuggets in five games, there was still a ton to build off of heading into the 2023-24 season. More eyes will be on Butler since the Heat couldn't obtain a much-needed dynamic scorer like Damian Lillard or Bradley Beal alongside him, but still has a deep squad coached by Erik Spoelstra.
After all of his antics such as bringing out an “emo” hairstyle to media day and crafting an ironic all-time starting lineup, here are our Jimmy Butler bold predictions for the 2023-24 season.
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Jimmy Butler more as a facilitator
Jimmy Butler being a facilitator has been a constant trend in his stint with the Miami Heat, but this season, there should be more times than not that he acts more like a “quarterback” to the team. It's been a topic of conversation all preseason about who the starting point guard will be between Kyle Lowry and Josh Richardson, but judging from past years, there's a ton of players who can handle the ball that isn't a guard.
One of them being Butler, who will see an uptick in assists this upcoming season. He's averaged around five per game the past two years, but there's more of a likelihood that he averages around seven like he did in the 2020-21 season. That season, he had 7.1 per game, but really, the chance of him getting close to 10 is in the realm of possibility.
With more mouths to feed, he could be in charge of facilitating the ball more to those players that are looking to make another jump like rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Tyler Herro.
A down season in scoring for Jimmy Butler
Don't get it twisted, Butler will most likely still be the main scorer of this team, but because of his expected increased role as a facilitator, averaging close to 23 points per game might not be in the horizon. Somewhere in the 20s? Sure, but it's obvious to expect major jumps from Bam Adebayo and the aforementioned Tyler Herro. Butler might have competition in being the lead scorer.
The one player on the team that really can compete for a ton of scoring opportunities is Herro who has a massive chip on his shoulder after being a part of trade rumors involving Damian Lillard. The possibility of seeing Butler feeding Herro more this season is very likely.
Jimmy Butler staying healthy?
While Butler joked during training camp that his goal is to play “10 games” this upcoming season via 5 Reason Sports, this upcoming NBA year could be a rarity for Butler in games played.
Since his last year with the Chicago Bulls in the 2015-16 season, Butler has failed to eclipse 70 games played. Last season was closest as he played in 64 contests, but because of the aforementioned increased role as a pseudo-point guard, it could benefit his health. Especially how he's now 34-years-old and has had seasons where he missed a significant amount of games, we could see a safer approach without sacrificing his explosiveness.
Butler has been accused of coasting through the regular season and playing harder in the playoffs, but if it gets the job done for him, then so be it!
Another season filled with doubt for Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat
Once again, Butler and the Heat are heading into a season where they're not the favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference. Maybe for good reason as top East teams like the Milwaukee Bucks traded for Damian Lillard and Boston Celtics acquired Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, but have people learned from their mistakes?
Butler has exuded confidence about these moves as he told ClutchPoints that “teams gear up to beat us, it's a sign of respect.” It might be a showcase of his bias because he's on the Heat, but is he wrong? The Heat lead the entire NBA in playoff wins and finals appearances since the 2019-20 season because of Butler and the team around him.
Even with the losses of Gabe Vincent and Max Strus, expect a great season by Butler and company to lead the Heat once again to the playoffs and remain a pest to opposing teams. People can hate, but the Heat will still ball.
The Heat will start up the regular season on Oct. 25 when the Detroit Pistons come to Miami.
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