Jimmy Butler was given a leave of absence by the Miami Heat to deal with the death of a family member, and this means he won’t be with the team forever.
The six-time All-Star participated in 13 of Miami’s games in a row, which was his longest streak of the season. Having played in 37 of the Heat’s 52 games overall, he has averaged 21.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game.
It’s interesting to note that Miami has won nine of the fifteen games Butler has missed while he’s been out. On the other hand, it has gone 19–18 for him.
Nevertheless, the veteran’s significance to the company cannot be emphasized enough. Had Butler not performed above and beyond expectations in the previous season, it would not have advanced to the NBA Finals for the second time in four years.
While he is away, the rest of the Heat will have to hold down the fort, which will undoubtedly be a difficult task. The visiting Boston Celtics, who are currently the best team in the league, are their next opponent. This season, the rivals have already faced off twice, with the Celtics winning both times.
In order to prevent Boston from sweeping the regular-season series, Miami will need to depend more on players like Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. to carry the offensive load.
Since Terry Rozier will be playing against the team that selected him with the 16th overall pick in the 2015 draft, maybe he can also step it up.
Leave a Reply