An anonymous NBA scout reportedly isn’t sure that Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler can maintain his success from the first round of the playoffs against the New York Knicks in the second round.
Butler dominated the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round, putting up a 56-point game in Game 4 en route to leading the Heat to a 4-1 series victory. However, one scout thinks he may not have enough help to get it done against the Knicks.
“Jimmy Butler, obviously, was great in the later part of the regular season and he took it to another level in the playoffs,” the scout told The Athletic’s Sam Amick, Darnell Mayberry and Josh Robbins. “Can he maintain that? It’s sort of hard to fathom that he could, and they need him desperately, especially in the absence of Tyler Herro. I’m not saying he’s a one-man show, but he’s playing at such a level that I’m not convinced that he can maintain that, especially against a smart coach and a defensive-oriented team.”
The scout also mentioned that the Knicks have two solid perimeter defenders in Josh Hart and Quentin Grimes that could make things tough on the Heat star.
New York did a solid job slowing down Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland in the first round of the playoffs. Hart, who filled in as a starter in Games 4 and 5 with Grimes injured, really kept Mitchell in check to close out the series.
“On the other end, I think the Knicks have two guys who — I wouldn’t say ‘handle’ Butler — can give him trouble: Josh Hart and Quentin Grimes, if he’s healthy,” the scout continued. “I’m not saying they can neutralize Butler, but the Knicks can run two really good defenders at him.”
Against the Knicks in the regular season, Butler averaged 22.5 points, 6.3 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game, but both of his big games came in Miami, where he scored 33 and 35 points. In the two games that the teams played at Madison Square Garden, Butler scored just 10 and 12 points.
Those numbers are far different from what Butler did against Milwaukee in the first round. The Heat star averaged 37.6 points per game while shooting an insane 59.7 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from beyond the arc.
Amick, Mayberry and Robbins spoke to a scout, coach and executive who all picked the Knicks to win their series with the Heat in six games.
It’s possible that they are all discounting Butler’s greatness in the playoffs, but both the Knicks and Heat put together impressive first-round wins.
Heat fans are hoping Butler can keep up his amazing postseason play to lead the team back to the Eastern Conference Finals for the third time in four seasons.
Game 1 of the series is set for Sunday afternoon in New York.
