Jimmy Butler constantly downplays the narrative that his offensive manufacturing will increase through the NBA playoffs.
Throughout the 2022–23 common season, the Warmth star averaged 22.9 factors, 5.9 rebounds and 5.3 assists per sport. In his four-year span with Miami, Butler has averaged 21.5 factors, 6.3 rebounds and 5.9 assists through the common season.
However on the subject of the playoffs, Butler is averaging 27.3 factors, 6.8 rebounds and 5.9 assists per sport this postseason and 24.7 factors, 6.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists by means of 4 playoff runs with the Warmth, the perfect postseason numbers that he’s posted for any of the groups he’s performed with.
Whereas the numbers counsel that the 33-year-old elevates his sport when the stakes are at their highest, the six-time All-Star nonetheless maintains that “Playoff Jimmy” just isn’t an actual pattern.
“I’m not a scorer … simply because I rating lots of factors one sport doesn’t make you a scorer,” Butler advised reporters on Tuesday. “I’m not a quantity shooter. I don’t do any of that. … If I cross the ball each possession and we win, I don’t care. If I shoot the ball each possession and we win, I don’t care. This Playoff Jimmy narrative just isn’t a factor. I simply need to win.”
Previous to the beginning of this 12 months’s NBA Finals, Butler ranked No. 1 in clutch factors, steals and isolation factors. He completed with 21 factors in Miami’s win towards the Nuggets in Sport 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday.
Because the collection shifts to Miami for Sport 3, Butler’s postseason brilliance will probably be on full show as soon as once more because the Warmth search to take a 2-1 benefit on Wednesday within the best-of-seven collection.
