Heat in 5: An open letter to Kyle Lowry, full-court Love, 4th quarter woes, and more
By António Dias
3️⃣ Jimmy at the wheel
The Miami Heat go as far as Jimmy Butler takes them -- especially with Herro and Adebayo out. And last week, Butler took his team where they needed him to. The focus will go to the game-winner to punctuate a 28-point game from Butler, a game where he felt Miami needed him to be a scorer. But he was much more than that. Last week, Butler was 16th in the NBA in drives at 14.2 per game and eighth in passes and assists out of drives.
In the first clip, Butler attacks off the catch and gets four different Hornets to focus on him, leaving the perimeter open. He finds the Heat's premiere shooter for a wide open three.
In the second clip, he attacks the pick and roll and goes deep into the pain. When he senses that Nick Richards has left the perimeter, he throws a wrap-around pass to Lowry, who has the patience to let the defender pass by before hitting an open shot.
After Lowry clears the space for Butler to work in isolation, he attacks the paint. Lowry goes inside and occupies the defense, with Jaquez open on the other side for a Jimmy assist.
In the last one, Butler attacks left, bringing Carter inside to reduce the space he has to work with. Butler goes for a longer stride to get away from the help and find RJ Hampton alone for yet another wide open three.