Josh Hart on Jimmy Butler: "Jimmy kind of does side quests during the year until about April. Then he starts locking in. I’m sure people are going to see that maniac competitive side now that he’s done with the side quests and he’s on to the main quest."
"Jimmy kind of does side quests during the year until about April": Josh Hart talks about Jimmy Butler
NBAWednesday, 03 April 2024 at 04:00
Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat has earned the nickname "Playoff Jimmy" because of his ability and history of getting red-hot during the postseason. Last year, he was a major part of his team's impressive and surprising run all the way to the NBA Finals.
Other players in the league that Butler becomes a totally different threat in the playoffs. Josh Hard of the New York Knicks noted this, telling Stefan Bondy:
“Jimmy kind of does side quests during the year until about April. Then he starts locking in. I’m sure people are going to see that maniac competitive side now that he’s done with the side quests and he’s on to the main quest.”
Read also
Butler is averaging 21 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game for the 2023-24 season. While those are strong numbers, they're not as good as what he did during the last postseason: 26.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists. In the season before that, he did even better.
Although Butler is obviously very impactful during the regular season, he flips a switch during the playoffs and gets even better and even more powerful for his Heat. It's not just his numbers either, as Butler is also a definitive leader for the team.
The Heat are currently the seventh seed in the East right now, which means they are qualified for the upcoming Play-In Tournament. However, that's the position they were in last season before they started their impressive and unexpected push to the Finals.
Just In
