When Jimmy Butler joined the Heat in 2019, the franchise was in no-man’s land. The dreaded middle. Lost in the woods.
However you want to describe it, Miami had very little direction before Butler joined the team. From 2015 to ’19, the Heat alternated seasons in and out of the playoffs. Dwyane Wade left and came back. Big contracts were handed out to Hassan Whiteside, Dion Waiters and others. The team never quite threatened in the playoffs and never bottomed out, either.
Butler rather miraculously landed in the Heat’s lap four summers ago, thanks in part to mismanagement by Philadelphia and his own relationship with Wade. Since then, Miami has been one of the most successful teams in the league. During Butler’s tenure, the Heat have led the NBA in both playoff wins and Finals appearances. Though not quite in the uppermost stratosphere of superstars, Butler has gone toe to toe with some of the greats over the last few years, including LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid.
