Jimmy Butler is one of the best players in the NBA and he proved that by willing an injured Miami Heat all the way to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. It was a great run that saw the Heat take down 2021’s Eastern Conference Finalists in the Atlanta Hawks and the feared Philadelphia 76ers in the second round.
After leading the team on a quite incredible run through the competitive East, Butler’s stock would be assumed to be high. ESPN doesn’t agree and ranked Butler as the 17th-best player in the NBA. Many fans were shocked by this and considered it a very low position for the star, but Jimmy himself isn’t upset with the ranking as he revealed recently.
Reporter: "ESPN had you 17th."
Jimmy Butler: "Word? That's good."
Reporter: "Are there 16 players in league that are more impactful than you?"
Jimmy: "Probably so. Probably about 25 of them." 🤣
(via @5ReasonsSports)pic.twitter.com/w6P8zYK8JJ
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 27, 2022
Reporter: “ESPN had you 17th.”
Jimmy Butler: “Word? That’s good.”
Reporter: “Are there 16 players in league that are more impactful than you?”
Jimmy: “Probably so. Probably about 25 of them. So, I’m not worried about it. 17 is a good number. Where I come from, 17? I am taking that.”
Can Jimmy Butler Overcome The Championship Barrier?
Out of all the players in the modern NBA that haven’t been able to win a championship, Butler’s case is quite special. He was stuck on teams that couldn’t build for a title in the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves before he was a part of a stacked Philadelphia squad in 2019. They were eliminated by Kawhi Leonard’s Toronto Raptors with a heartbreaking Game 7 loss where Kawhi hit an iconic game-winner.
Butler rebounded from that by taking the Miami Heat to the NBA Finals before being handily beaten by the LA Lakers. After playoff disappointment in the last 2 seasons as well, the Heat will be hoping that 2023 could be the year for their rapidly aging core.
Miami Heat are still looking to add a starting power forward to their lineup and should have a lot of interest in acquiring Jae Crowder from the Phoenix Suns, a player who was crucial to the Heat’s 2020 Finals run.
