The Miami Heat are off to a 7-3 record through 10 games in this current and young NBA season. Though many had the Milwaukee Bucks and the Brooklyn Nets firmly ahead of the pack in the conference to start the year, the Miami Heat have, since, begun to make everyone think about those predictions a bit.
Though still very early in the year though, to that point and the grand point of this whole thing, you take those things as they come and on a game to game basis.
Speaking of a game to game basis though, Jimmy Butler has continued to lead the Miami Heat this season.
Though they have accrued new talent and watched some of their other great pieces further develop coming into this year, the lead dog is still Jimmy G. Buckets. That’s from a mental perspective, a team leader perspective, and one last perspective of mention.
The “G” stands for gets and that’s also just what he’s been doing for the Miami Heat. For their sakes, his own, and the right minds of Miami Heat Faithful everywhere, he needs to keep it up.
Miami Heat: Jimmy Butler Has To Keep Getting Buckets
When you look at Jimmy’s figures this season from an individual perspective, a few things immediately stick out to you. His 25.3 points per game, again and though only through 10 games thus far, are the most he’s averaged in his career and his most in four seasons or so.
His next highest scoring average was in the 2016-17 season, where he was still a member of the Chicago Bulls and where his numbers finished at an average of 23.9 points per contest.
Interestingly enough, he’s taking an identical amount of shots as he did that year at 16.5 (16.4 thus far through 10 games in this one), while he is hitting them with a much greater efficiency ( 53 percent thus far to 45.5 percent in that season).
The difference there on why it was still so close, as his free throw numbers were also, almost identical, were his range shooting numbers. Though still nothing crazy that year, volume or efficiency wise, he was taking and making twice the amount of threes.
There are two things there though to keep in mind. He was taking three per game and making one in that season, while he is taking about 1.5 range shots per thus far and making about half of that.
The second thing is the fact that even with the low marks there so far, volume and conversion wise, he’s looking a lot better in this young season from range than he has over his entire Miami Heat tenure.
Again, his numbers there aren’t anything to write home about and he’ll never be Steph Curry. But, when you talk about a guy that’s shot 24.5 percent from range on 2.5 attempts during his Miami Heat tenure, you’ll take all the improvement you can get.
Miami Heat: They Go As Jimmy Butler Does, So He Has To Keep Going Hard
When you look at Jimmy Butler’s numbers from a team perspective, the story is pretty simple. They go as he does.
You look at guys like Kyle Lowry, Tyler Herro, and Bam Adebayo, guys who can all produce at a high level, but Jimmy is still leading the pack. When you look at the boxscores so far, Jimmy Butler has led the Miami Heat in 60 percent of their games thus far, six of the 10 to be precise.
Tyler Herro, the flame-throwing bucket set on redeeming himself, has led them in three, while a more-aggressive Bam Adebayo has led them in one. Bam still has meat on the bone with his aggression, but that deserves a ton more and is something to ponder upon.
However, the fact still remains the same. In the overwhelming majority, Jimmy Butler is that guy.
It’s neccessary too though. There are times when others can’t get it going, such as Kyle Lowry’s awful showing in Denver and other poor shooting nights for Tyler, Bam, or anyone else.
Jimmy Butler can always get himself going. Now, when you have Kyle pitching it ahead like he does, he makes it easier on guys like Jimmy and even though Lowry may be struggling to put the ball in the hoop himself, that certainly helps.
But, you also have to respect the way that Jimmy can get to his stuff, alone and if that isn’t working, he knows how to get to the charity stripe. That’s the grand point here though.
For all of the talent that the Miami Heat now have, which is a gift and necessary to keep Jimmy fresh, spry, able to do this all year long, and deep into the postseason, they still go as he does. When no one else can find it, something, anything… he typically can.
He’s also the ignition, which is key to getting started (see what was done there?) in all circumstances. That’s why Jimmy Butler has to just keep getting buckets.