The game? Arguably never better. The hair? A work in progress.
In a typical season, Jimmy Butler might not be paying attention much to either at this stage of the calendar.
But this is not a typical season for the Miami Heat since Butler’s 2019 arrival, mired in a slog of a battle for playoff seeding.
So there has been a familiar look to the play since the All-Star break, something closer to Playoff Jimmy.
“It’s not a real thing,” Butler said of the notion of Playoff Jimmy.
His statistics in the postseason, save for that uneven run in the 2021 first round against the Milwaukee Bucks, say otherwise.
As does what he has done in the 11 games since the All-Star break: 26.1 points per game on .603 shooting from the field. .851 shooting from the line, .500 shooting on 3-pointers, with 6.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game, leading the Heat in all those categories except for rebounding, where he is tied for second.
“It’s the epitome of efficiency,” coach Erik Spoelstra said, with the Heat shifting their focus to Wednesday night’s visit by the Memphis Grizzlies that closes the two-game homestand that opened with Monday night’s 119-115 victory over the Utah Jazz.
“Players coming in should study Jimmy Butler. You don’t need to be a volume shooter. You don’t need to have the ball in your hands all the time to be able to impose your will offensively. He just is a really smart basketball player, and he knows how to win games, particularly when games are competitive and close.”
Monday was another case of seizing a moment, a moment that had Spoelstra offering a comparison to no less than Dwyane Wade.
That was when, with the Heat down two with 3:34 to play, Butler drained a go-ahead 3-pointer just eight seconds into the shot clock, as former Heat teammate Kelly Olynyk backed off defensively.
“It’s very similar to Dwyane,” Spoelstra said. “Percentages go out the window. If you’re going to give him an open shot to go for a kill, those guys are killers. They’re going to make you pay for that. And that has nothing to do with the percentages. That has to do with the competitive will.
“We don’t do it very often, but when he shoots that shot, he feels like he can compete against our stickers when we’re doing shooting drills.”
Yes, it was Butler having a moment, but not necessarily his preferred moment.
“He does tell me to shoot more threes,” Butler said of Spoelstra. “But I just feel like if I start shooting too many threes, then there’s not enough paint attacks. I can shoot more threes; I don’t want to.
“I want to play bully ball. I want to run in there, run into people. I like a physical game. But every now and again, I’ll take and make threes.”
The variety and nuance of Butler’s game essentially has been what has held the Heat afloat during this 5-6 run since the All-Star break, with Bam Adebayo somewhat off with his game, Tyler Herro up and down with his shot and Kyle Lowry working back from a monthlong injury layoff due to knee pain.
“He’s the anchor,” forward Caleb Martin said. “He’s been holding it down for us. He’s put us in positions to win night in and night out. I just think that with what he brings and how he plays, he’s always going to give us an opportunity to be in a position to win games.”
All while attempting to maintain a look uniquely Butler.
Last week, it was another attempt at beaded braids. At the start of Monday night’s game it was dual tufts of hair extended upwards from braids. By the close, it was hair gone wild, something resembling the aftereffects of a wind tunnel.
“Man,” Butler said during the coiffure portion of his postgame media session. “My Alo beads came out the other day. I was sick about that. So I just said, I’m going to take my hair down as a whole. Armando [Rivas, his personal trainer] bought me a comb, so that definitely helped.
“But I wanted to take it down before the game, because my head was itching. So I just took my hair down.”
