Miami Heat: Grading Jimmy Butler’s 2021-22 Season

Miami Heat Culture runs deep through the roots of Miami’s lineup. Their success is defined by the ability of every player to rise up to the occasion when needed.

However, no one is questioning the fact that Jimmy Butler was the best player on this year’s roster. When it came down to the final moments, the ball was put in Jimmy’s hands.

His ability to draw contact proved pivotal in an era of NBA Basketball where getting to the free-throw line separates the good teams from the great teams. Butler’s relative personal foul rate, the rate at which a player commits fouls compared to the rest of the league, along with his free throw rate, which is free throw attempts per field goal attempt, both stood above the 95th percentile for the NBA.

As always, it’s safe to say Jimmy was a defensive menace this year. That doesn’t go without saying the All-Star didn’t provide a spark on offense either though.

The Miami Heat go as Jimmy Butler does. He’s the star, the leader, the best player on the team, and gave everything he had in this past season.

Butler notched 21.4 points per game on the season while going 48 percent from the field. Jimmy’s passer rating stood at the 87th percentile, further demonstrating his abilities as a floor general.

The former Marquette Golden Eagle put up a legendary playoff performance, with 28.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game. The most publicized game was his Game 6 performance against Boston, where he scored a whopping 47 points, a playoff career-high for the 32-year-old.

The numbers speak for themselves and Butler has put the team on his back several times over the course of the season. Fans can rest assured knowing the kindling of Butler’s work ethic and desire for team success aren’t fizzling out. J

Jimmy Butler is the quintessential proponent of Miami Heat Culture and those that support this Miami Heat team know it. There is no need for semantics, overanalysis, or some long and drawn-out discussion.

We know what the man did this year. He has earned himself an A grade for the 2021-2022 season.

Season Grade: A

Being a little off to one side or short on “the shot”, you know the one, is the only thing preventing the A+ here. He still probably earned that much, but we’ll give Jimmy something higher to shoot for next season.