Just when the Miami Heat thought they were getting their star player back from injury, Jimmy Butler suffered a right foot sprain in his return game against the Utah Jazz. Butler has now missed seven of the last eight games with lower body injuries.
Surprisingly, the Heat have gone 5-2 in that stretch. The Heat have continued to show that they are a deep team whose players are capable of stepping up when called upon. Here is a ranking of who stepped up the most in Butler’s absence.
13. Thomas Bryant
Thomas Bryant has fallen out of the rotation for the most part. Over the six game span, he played a total of 21 minutes. He had a decent outing in the win against Orlando, in which he scored 12 points in 17 minutes.
12. R.J. Hampton
Injuries have opened up opportunities for R.J. Hampton to play meaningful minutes. He took over as the starting point guard when Lowry missed a few games. He has shown flashes of his potential through his athleticism, but he hasn’t been too impressive in limited minutes so far. He is a project that the Heat will continue to work on.