Is Jimmy Butler a Top 10 Player in the NBA Right Now?
Jimmy Butler, Miami’s charismatic front man, has sat on the cusp of being considered an elite NBA player for what seems like years. To be regarded as not just a star, but a superstar. After the Heat fell in the 2020 NBA Finals, despite a heroic effort from Butler, it seemed like he might finally get his flowers. But thanks to the constant hate that spews out of basketball social media, his and the Heat’s accomplishments that season were laughed off in disregard. Those playoffs will forever live in infamy as “the Bubble”.
It seems though that he may have another chance to ascend the pantheon of current greats as he’s leading Miami on a tear through the East. He’s averaging 28.7 points per game in these playoffs and depending on who you ask, he’s played better than anyone in either conference this postseason. The numbers back that up too, as Butler’s 11.8 plus/minus is the highest of anyone in these playoffs, except for his own wingman, Miami Heat shooting guard Max Strus (11.9).
Butler’s impact also goes far beyond the box score. Taking all of this into account, can we officially call him one of the league’s ten best players?
For starters, name the guys that pretty much everyone will agree should be higher on the list than Butler. In no particular order, that’s: Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokic, Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic, and Joel Embiid. After those seven, it gets pretty murky, and it could be argued that Butler is outplaying Embiid in the Heat’s second round series with Philly. But Embiid is significantly injured and is coming off one hell of a season, so he holds one of the top seven spots for now.
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, and Chicago Bulls guard DeMar DeRozan all make strong cases for the remaining three spots. Booker is probably the best of the bunch, toting a 70-point game and a finals appearance in his bag, but has come up missing in some clutch moments for Phoenix. Still, it’s hard to ignore the fact that Booker’s the driving force behind this Suns team going from lottery picker to championship contender in a few short seasons. He’s averaging 25 points per game this postseason and has his squad up 3-2 against the Dallas Mavericks, looking to close out and head to the Western Conference Finals.
For argument’s sake, I’ll give Booker the edge over Butler, if only because Booker has shown an ability to shoot from long range more consistently. Between Tatum, Derozan, and Butler though, I’m taking Jimmy Buckets every single time. Tatum and Butler matched up, in fact, during that “bubble” playoff run in the 2020 Eastern Conference Finals, a series that Miami won 4-2.
Not only does Butler reliably perform at a high level when the lights are on, but he also elevates his teammates' level of play on both ends of the court. He is continually making sure his team is in the right set and getting good shots according to the game plan. Save for one wild fadeaway three-point attempt against Atlanta, the 6’7” slasher hasn’t forced anything this postseason.
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra has taken notice of Butler’s ability to lock in during the clutch. "When you get into a competition, he understands the full deal -- that you have to do it on both ends” said Spoelstra, “And he's able to compete with a ferocity and an incredibly stable mind. That is really unique -- when it gets the craziest is when he's really locked in on making sure that it's solid winning basketball for our team."
The top-seeded Miami Heat won 4-2 in their series with the Philadelphia 76ers and it’s full speed ahead towards the Eastern Conference Finals for Jimmy Butler and his gang. Even if Miami doesn’t end up etching their names onto the Larry O’Brien trophy, Jimmy Butler is without a doubt one of the league’s top ten stars. And if the Heat do pull it off, then we might just have to move him up to the top five.
