Jimmy Butler has led the Heat to 2 NBA Finals appearances in the last 4 seasons.
NBA basketball returns Oct. 24. We are counting down the days like the seconds on a shot clock — literally, that’s what we’re doing. As of Oct. 1, our writers will list 24 storylines heading into the 2023-24 NBA season.
A new storyline will drop each day. Here is No. 9:
The Heat missed out on Damian Lillard. Here’s why Jimmy Butler is the NBA star in need of the most help.
This might sound sacrilege because the person in question makes roughly $35 million a season, but … poor Jimmy Butler. His championship chances just took a hit for the second time in four months.
Losing to Nikola Jokic was painful enough. And now, losing Damian Lillard? To be truthful, Butler and the Heat never had Lillard. But, point made. And point is, Butler remains a star shy of grabbing that elusive title.
That’s because, if you didn’t notice, Butler runs out of gas in the moment of truth. He did so in the 2020 season restart championship series against the Los Angeles Lakers. And he did so again last June against the Denver Nuggets. Although he brings a knack for producing big scoring games — ask the Milwaukee Bucks, ask the Boston Celtics, etc. — he’s not really a big scorer. Those scattered postseason examples of him going off are just that. And eventually, they exhaust a player who spends plenty of energy on defense.
Ideally, Jimmy could use a certified fourth-quarter scorer and closer; that’s why adding Lillard was so appealing. Bam Adebayo is plenty of things but not That Guy. Same goes for Tyler Herro. And anyone else on the Heat roster.
Pat Riley is never to be underestimated, even after losing the Big Fish That Got Away. But this was a significant whiff. And Butler’s lungs and limbs can only rescue him so many times.
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
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