Miami Heat: Jimmy Butler… Elite Playmaker & How That Looks Going Forth
By Isiah Curry
Widely known for his clutch-scoring and two-way prowess, Butler has revitalized the Heat organization on both ends of the floor. Although, it didn’t stop there, as the premier forward continued to evolve his game in 2021, most notably as an offensive initiator.
Butler became a proficient playmaker, the best version of it that he’s been in his whole career and though only appearing in 52 games last season, the sample-size was large enough to place him among the league rankings in assists.
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Given that the previous NBA season was shortened by ten games, he managed to have more assists, but fewer turnovers than he did in 2019-20.
Jimmy Butler Passing Efficiency (2020-21 Season)
- 10th in Assists (7.1), 369 Total
- 41st in Turnovers (2.1), 103 Total
- 9th in Assists Percentage (35.1)
- 14th in Assist-Turnover Ratio (3.4)
An area criminally overlooked during last season was Butler’s ability to generate open looks. Statistically, he was a top passer, but handled those duties with efficiency.
His best passing performances came during an early February win over New York, where he finished with ten assists and 26 points and then another with 26 points and 11 dimes against Boston on May 9th.
After returning in late January (Health and Safety protocols), Butler handed out double-digit assists for five of his first 11 games. Also, with numerous injuries to former Heat-guards, Goran Dragic and Kendrick Nunn, coach Erik Spoelstra utilized Butler in a primary playmaking role — resulting in a career-high 26.6 usage rate.