The Miami Heat are sixth in the Eastern Conference and for the season, they are 35-26. They have recently defeated the Detroit Pistons with a final score of 118-110 and are slowly becoming rejuvenated as the season moves further.
The Heat squad had won five of their last six matches as they won against the Philadelphia 76ers, New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, Portland Trail Blazers, and Utah Jazz and lost to Denver Nuggets, who are third in Western Conference.
One of the former prominent players of Duke and the NBA, ESPN analyst J.J. Redick, has recently shared his opinions on how the Miami squad is progressing in the season, especially one of their most talented players, six-time NBA All-Star, Jimmy Butler.
During one of the episodes of First Take, Redick, who holds several records achieved during his time at Duke, shared, “They are very dangerous and look everybody is going to talk about Milwaukee Bucks and the run they’ve been on, the Boston Celtics and the run they’ve been on. The Heat had a seven game losing streak at the end of January; since then, they are eleven and three, number two defense in the league of the last fourteen games. They’ve got balance, they’ve got depth, and most importantly, ‘playoff Jimmy’ is coming.”
.@jj_redick warns the Eastern Conference about the Heat 🔥
"They've got balance. They've got depth. And most importantly, 'Playoff Jimmy' is coming." pic.twitter.com/ga3mIUIWXW
— First Take (@FirstTake) March 6, 2024
He further continued, “He has been incredible since the All-Star break, 26 points a game, he is getting to the free throw line, he is shooting threes, he is play making. This is a team nobody wants to see in the Eastern Conference in the playoffs.”
Butler’s efforts have been fundamental, as he has assisted the Heat squad in making it to the NBA Finals both in the previous season and in 2020 as well. He has also established himself as one of the greatest postseason players in the league. The Miami club had reached three Eastern Conference Finals in the last four seasons.
The Miami Heat are one of the teams that are usually seen as formidable clubs when it comes to the postseason, primarily due to Jimmy Butler. However, the squad has yet to achieve an NBA championship with Butler.
According to Heat Nation, in five games after the All-Star break, Butler is averaging 25.8 points and his shooting stat from the three-point range is 53.8 percent. Before the break, his average was 21.4 points per game.
