Miami Heat: Jimmy Butler’s Proven ‘Clutch’ Before, But Needs To Turn It On Now
However, that has not been the case this year or at least, it has not been enough to help the Heat win. While the Heat have been great this year and have led by double digits in nearly all of their games, there have been some games in which that lead was cut close by the end of the game.
In their second game against the Washington Wizards, this error proved to be a big issue and the Heat lost to the Wizards.
The Heat were up by as much as 16 points in this game. They had a ten-point lead with about four minutes to go.
And they still lost. That type of lead would never be blown with Michael Jordan as a leader.
He would have battled through the adversity. The refs… shots not falling… none of that would have mattered to His Airness.
The win would have still been secured with a closer like him. The win should have and needs to be secured by Jimmy Butler in those situations too.
Jimmy Butler has the mental toughness and the talent to be able to close out games. He just needs to do a better job at controlling the pace and trusting his teammates.
Butler is not the only one to blame for the Heat losing big leads in their games. In fact, some of those leads were cut down in games like the both against the Jazz, the second of which saw Jimmy Butler not play.
However, he is trusted with the ball in his hands near the end of games, meaning he’s supposed to be the guy there to shut the door for the Heat.
He will need to improve his decision making as the season progresses, to be sure the Miami Heat can maximize their potential. In the playoffs, this asset will be crucial.
If you had to make a choice though or bet on someone to be able to get it done more than they wouldn’t… Jimmy would’t be a bad bet.