The Miami Heat currently own the fourth-best record in the entire NBA, led by their newly acquired star Jimmy Butler.
Their 26-10 record is good for third in the Eastern Conference. Those who criticized Miami for giving the 30-year old a four-year, $140-million max this offseason have been silenced thus far.
Butler has proven worth the deal and embraced his role as the leader and number one option in South Beach. The veteran forward had previously jumped between the Chicago Bulls, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Philadelphia 76ers within a three-year span.
Butler Has Upped His Game This Season
This season, Jimmy Butler has clearly performed at an all-star level in a slightly different role than usual for his career. The 2019-20 season has brought a career-high in usage rate (28.2%), assist percentage (29.8%), and free-throw attempts per game (9.7). Butler only trails James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo in free-throw attempts per game.
He leads Miami in assists per game with 6.6 while remaining a more-than-capable scorer himself. Butler ranks 31st in the association in points per game at 20.4. Obviously, Jimmy has been a defensive specialist throughout most of his career. And while he has slowed down somewhat in one-on-one situations, his high defensive IQ is not going anywhere anytime soon.
Miami is leaps and bounds better with Butler on the floor. The Heat bolster a 105.2 defensive rating with him on the floor that jumps to 111.4 when Jimmy is on the bench. The difference is apparent in the statistics on the offensive end as well. Their 105.1 offensive rating with Butler off significant leaps to 114.5 with him on the floor.
While Jimmy has never been a phenomenal shooter from distance in his career, his 27.0 shooting percentage from three this season should see an improvement as the year progresses and does not take away from the high level of play in his age 30 season.
Butler has always had ice in his veins, and that has not wavered this season. He currently ranks fifth in average clutch points and led Miami to a 10-2 record in those scenarios along with just one loss out of 18 games at AmericanAirlines Arena.
There Is No Doubt Butler Will Be An All-Star
There is no doubt that Jimmy Butler will make his fifth All-Star appearance come February and will be in contention to start in that game as well.
The questions regarding Jimmy Butler's leadership have quieted down this season. Butler previously forced his way out of Minnesota and called ESPN to have a private interview immediately following an infamous practice where he beat the starters with third-stringers.
Butler's presence, along with Bam Adebayo's emergence, has led to Miami becoming a serious threat in the Eastern Conference.
With all of that said, Butler is sure to return to Chicago for the All-Star game later this year.
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