When the Miami Heat lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals in October, LeBron James put forth a virtuoso performance en route to series MVP honors.
Lost in James’ performance was the fact that Jimmy Butler also played extremely well.
Teammate Goran Dragic gave Butler praise for his outstanding play at both ends of the floor in the championship series, although his praise may have been a little over the top.
“It was unbelievable,” says Dragic of Butler’s play. “I don’t want to take nothing from LeBron, but Jimmy was guarding the best guy on the other team, and he was doing everything on offense for us. He was the best guy on the floor.”
Butler was acquired in a huge trade in the summer of 2019, and he instantly transformed the Heat from a lottery team into a darkhorse squad.
The Heat then exceeded expectations throughout the 2020 NBA Playoffs, and they did so largely thanks to Butler’s excellence.
In the Finals, Butler put up 26.2 points a game and nearly averaged a triple-double for the series.
He’s known as one of the better wing defenders in the game, as well as arguably the NBA’s best crunch-time performer.
If the Heat’s young players continue to develop and take another big step forward, expect to see Butler do his thing again deep into the 2021 playoffs.
