Jimmy Butler has led the Miami Heat to yet another Playoff win. The 6ft 7’ forward, with a 27/6/10 performance in Game 4, has now put his team 3-1 up against the Knicks, looking good for the Eastern Conference Finals. Jimmy Buckets has been so good that Skip Bayless is vying for him to be the best player in this year’s Playoffs over the likes of Devin Booker, Stephen Curry, and Nikola Jokic, who are all having a spectacular post-season as well.
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“Jimmy Butler has been the best player in the playoffs so far because he has the highest degree of difficulty. He has no Kevin Durant or Klay Thompson or Jamal Murray or All-Star co-star. His 8 seed Heat are on the doorstep of the conference finals,” Tweeted the veteran Fox Sports analyst, after the Heat’s 109-101 win over the Knicks.
Jimmy Butler has been the best player in the playoffs so far because he has the highest degree of difficulty. He has no Kevin Durant or Klay Thompson or Jamal Murray or All-Star co-star. His 8 seed Heat are on the doorstep of the conference finals.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) May 9, 2023
Jimmy Butler in the Playoffs
The Heat’s 6x All-Star had a tremendous two-way show Monday night where he had a couple of steals, two blocks, and some offensive rebounds as well, to round off his team-high, 27 points, 10 assists, and 6 rebound performance.
This was Heat’s 9th Playoff game thus far. Butler played in 8 of those, missing Game 2 against the Knicks due to an ankle injury. In none of those 8 games has he scored under 25 points.
Jimmy Butler is currently averaging 33.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. It might not be as efficient as D-Book or as dominant as the Joker. But it’s the most valuable, especially given that his supporting cast isn’t as strong as some of his competitors in the postseason.
Jimmy Butler has made everything work so far. The 8th seed Miami Heat are even the first team, both in the East and the West, with a 2-game lead to book a place in the Conference Finals. So maybe, just maybe, Skip Bayless has a point here.
Stephen Curry, Devin Booker, and Nikola Jokic’s post-season
Curry has had some major help from Klay Thompson to win multiple games against the Kings and the Lakers thus far. Thompson is averaging about 21 points per game. Additionally, the impact of Andrew Wiggins can’t be understated either. He has quietly been one of the best players in the postseason.
Devin Booker has Kevin Durant assisting him with 30 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists per game. And of course, Nikola Jokic has Jamal Murray chipping in with at least 26 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists every night.
Both their teams are also far too strong going by the starting line-up and the bench depth compared to the Heat. We have got to agree with Skip Bayless on this one.
