The Miami Heat made an unexpected run to the finals last year and they even forced six games against the mighty Los Angeles Lakers.
The emotional and statistical leader for that run was Jimmy Butler without question.
Need I remind you that Jimmy Butler was bouncing from friends house to friends house by the time he was 13 years old and now he is one of the best basketball players in the world.
You may think that he was just too talented to not make the NBA but he started playing college hoops in junior college because he was so lightly recruited.
Even at Marquette he was still doubted coming into the league; he was drafted 30th overall, but he does not back down from adversity, he attacks it.
Through all of the ups and downs, he always finds away and never gives up without a fight.
Even after that unlikely playoff run and a fantastic career after a tragic childhood people try to argue that he is overrated.
Fortunately, he has playoff success, longevity, and stats to silence all of his critics.
Jimmy Butler is the 1st player in Heat history with a triple-double in consecutive games 🔥 pic.twitter.com/CQHWOyvEeu
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 18, 2021
Bubble Playoff Run
This season was probably the weirdest season in the history of all of sports.
Playing in a bubble for several months and playing in the NBA finals without a single fan is as odd as it gets.
Because of the weird circumstances, some people said it was not a legitimate championship, but because of the peculiarity of the season I think it showed who could really deal with adversity and still play at a high level.
We got to see guys like TJ Warren average over 30 points and teams like the Suns go on eight-game win streaks.
Others with high expectations, like the Clippers and Bucks, were not able to adapt and were ousted earlier in the playoffs than expected.
The environment was something to behold.
Jimmy Butler saw this adversity, and like usual attacked it head-on, which inspired his young and old teammates alike to do the same thing.
Against the odds, the Heat beat the Bucks and advanced to the NBA finals because of good team basketball as well as some memorable individual performances from Jimmy.
Career Achievements
Not only has Jimmy been someone to count on to get a bucket when needed or to take over an entire game for the night through scoring, but he is also one of the best defenders in the league and has backed that up with four all-defensive nods in his career.
He has also made five all-star teams and three all-nba teams.
Considering all the guard talent in the league, making an all NBA team once, let alone three times is an exceptional feat.
Intangibles
Jimmy Butler in February:
🔥 20.4 PPG
🔥 8.7 RPG
🔥 8.8 APGBam Adebayo in February:
🔥 19.2 PPG
🔥 9.8 RPG
🔥 55.8 FG%The Heat are now 7th in the East, having won 8 of their last 11 games. pic.twitter.com/lqHlNGISVL
— StatMuse (@statmuse) February 25, 2021
His leadership and his passion for the game are evident every time he touches the court no matter which city he is representing.
When he plays for his team after being injured you can see and feel the new life he breathes into the squad.
That kind of value can not be measured by any metric or stat, no matter how advanced.
NEXT: What Happened To Former NBA Star Jason Williams? (Story)
