📈 Stock up: Jimmy Butler
Jimmy Butler returned to the lineup on Jan. 15. That was the Heat's last win before the losing streak ended on Jan. 31. Besides his 31 points in his return from his foot injury, Butler's numbers were pedestrian for most of Miami's tough stretch. His stats weren't awful, but he was leaving some meat on the bone. He's been averaging only 12 shot attempts, which isn't good enough.
Miami needs Butler to be more aggressive instead of picking his spots. He seems to have gotten the message, averaging 28.3 points on 15.3 attempts and 9.3 free-throw attempts over the last three games. He notched another 31-point game in Wedensday's win over the Kings.
The rest of the team feeds off Butler's energy. Depth can be a strength of the Heat but there are better when Butler is simply putting together high-scoring games. They need him to continue doing that so they can stack some wins.