Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler tends to turn things on sort of late in seasons, and the 2022-23 campaign has been no different.
Since the All-Star break, Butler has averaged 25.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game on 61.6 percent shooting from the field, 48.1 percent shooting from beyond the arc and 84.9 percent shooting from the charity stripe.
He seems to be gaining some momentum to be named to an All-NBA team, and plenty of people are wondering why he wasn’t named an All-Star earlier in the season. Former NBA executive John Hollinger is among that group.
“In fact, he’s a no-brainer for second team,” Hollinger wrote. “I would posit that Butler is the most underrated player in the league, and it’s an embarrassment that he wasn’t named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team.”
The 33-year-old averaged 21.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.0 steals per game on 50.7 percent shooting from the field and 30.3 percent from downtown up until the All-Star break, so it makes a little bit of sense as to why he wasn’t selected to the midseason classic.
While recognition is always great, Butler wasn’t bothered at all by not making it to the All-Star Game. He instead took some time to travel to South America and visited Argentina during the break.
Currently, the Heat are seventh in the Eastern Conference and seem to be content with having to fight their way into the playoffs by way of the play-in tournament.
Miami has two more games left in the regular season, with a contest Friday on the road against the Washington Wizards taking place before the team’s regular season finale on Sunday against the Orlando Magic.
No matter where the Heat end up in the standings, Butler has full confidence in his team. He recently said that the Heat can beat anybody when they are playing the “right way.”
After making the Eastern Conference Finals last year, Butler and the Heat have had a season full of ups and downs. The team hasn’t shown the same consistency from last season.
Still, the six-time All-Star will surely do everything in his power to help Miami make a deep run this postseason.