The Miami Heat clearly had to split from Jimmy Butler last season. The relationship had reached the irreconcilable stage, and the longer the situation took to resolve, the more disconnect it created in the longer room.
Heat fans surely aren't looking back on Butler now. Well, not other than maybe to check when he'll be in the Kaseya Center's visitor's locker room, or perhaps to wonder whether he's already rattling cages in Golden State.
As for Miami's offense, though, it probably remembers the Butler era fondly. Because ever since he left, the Heat have had tremendous trouble getting themselves to the foul line.
Miami's free-throw rate has plummeted since Butler left.
ESPN's Kevin Pelton recently put a spotlight on every team's biggest roster hole entering the 2025-26 NBA season. His response to Miami might surprise some folks.
Rather than pinpointing the lack of playmaking (which was a worry even before All-Star guard Tyler Herro's foot and ankle surgery) or the absence of a backup center, Pelton went with "foul drawing." And he might be onto something.
During Butler's five full seasons in Miami, the Heat's average ranking in made free throws per game was 10th. They ranked as high as fifth (2019-20) and never lower than 13th (2020-21).
Last season, though, they dropped all the way to 26th. They were 29th after the All-Star break, and their 13.3 free-throw attempts in the opening round were the second-lowest in playoff history, per Pelton.
The Heat need to start finding more of these freebies—and fast. They don't have the volume scorers or long-range net-shredders to get by without them. And, again, that was a concern even before they lost Herro, who paced them in points, assists, and three-pointers last season.
Butler's replacement, Andrew Wiggins, actually led the way with 4.6 free-throw attempts. For context, that average barely cracked the league's top 40.
The Heat have to find ways to get downhill more often this season. That should be a priority for Bam Adebayo (who had a rough showing—by his standards, at least—on offense last season), but the attacking mindset needs to be adopted by the entire team. They don't have a Butler (or, for the time being, even a Herro) who can put his head down and go find a bucket or a whistle with consistency, but they need players who can do that on occasion.
Wiggins can get to the stripe when he's aggressive and assertive. Newcomer Norman Powell has a bit of that in his bag, too. You'd think Nikola Jovic could make it happen given his unique blend of size (6'10" and ball skills. Jaime Jaquez Jr. has the kind of footwork, floor awareness, and craft to bait defenders into foul calls, too.
There are ways Miami can find more foul shots; those things just haven't come to fruition since Butler left. If they don't surface soon, this offense will once again struggle to reach even league-average levels of efficiency.