What separates Miami Heat superstar Jimmy Butler from the rest of the MVP candidates
The thing that separates Butler from many of the other top players across the league is his Heat Culture mentality and defense. If he is going to have a shot at MVP, Butler will have to make a name for himself on the defensive end even more so than before.
He will need to challenge opponents every night. He will need to make it known that he is a presence on the floor and get in their head. He will need to make headlines that detail how frustrating he is to play against. If he does all of that at a level he has not done before, he could enter the MVP conversation.
In terms of defensive stats and accolades, Butler needs to be in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year while helping the Miami Heat become the top defensive team in the league.
Last season, Jimmy Butler led the league in steals per game. He needs to do this again. However, when Butler led the league in steals per game, he did so in only 52 games.
Butler missed several games last season, mostly because of COVID-19 protocols. As we witnessed last year, if players miss too many games, their MVP chances go out the window. Therefore, Butler needs to play more games; at least 65 in an 82 game season.
Jimmy Butler winning the MVP award with the Miami Heat would be special. It would solidify Butler as one of the all-time Miami Heat greats. It would also raise their chances of bringing home another championship banner.
While it would be very unexpected for Butler to actually win the MVP, it is definitely possible this year. We can hope that Butler put in enough work this offseason to lead the Miami Heat in an MVP season. Either way, he’s still our MVP every night.