Inside The Heat

A Look Back At Jimmy Butler's Pre-Draft Analysis, Workout In 2011

Miami Heat exceeded all expectations after improving his draft stock in 2011

Shandel Richardson

A Look Back At Jimmy Butler's Pre-Draft Analysis, Workout In 2011
A Look Back At Jimmy Butler's Pre-Draft Analysis, Workout In 2011 /
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No doubt, this is playoff time for the NBA. 

The Miami Heat and Boston Celtics begin the Eastern Conference finals tonight, but this is also draft time. A video resurfaced of Heat forward Jimmy Butler's pre-draft and made me look back at what they were saying about him at the time. 

Butler was a borderline first-rounder but has since developed into an All-NBA talent. Here was the skinny on Butler back in 2011 and a look at that workout. 

Draft Express - The MVP of the tournament, and likely the top prospect at the PIT (Portsmouth Invitation), Marquette's Jimmy Butler, measured out a solid 6-6 ¼ without shoes and 215 pounds, giving him excellent size for a NBA small forward, albeit just an average wingspan (6-8) and standing reach (8-5). 

NBA Draft Net - "Like Wesley Matthews before him, Butler could really be a nice player if he lands in the right situation … Unlike many rookies in his draft class, Butler could see NBA playing time without hurting the team by playing poor defense or taking bad shots … That, coupled with his positive attitude and personality, should get him a few looks in the early second round … If he continues to improve his outside shooting ability, he might be one of this class’ sleepers."

Hoops Habit - "You would be hard-pressed to identify any time he is on the court and not giving everything he has. While he is not great at any one thing, he does a very good job doing the little things a team needs to be successful. This isn’t to say he’s not skilled, he is."

ESPN's Chad Ford - "He's drawn praise from virtually every NBA scout and GM who has worked him out. But it's been the interview process that has created the most buzz. Representatives from team after team told me he was one of the most impressive young men they've ever met."

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Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat.

TWITTER: @ShandelRich

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For any Heat or NBA questions, please email shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here

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