Sports Illustrated - 21.10.2019

*NEW ACQUISITION \ R ROOKIE (COLLEGE STATS)

∂43 wins ∂Lose in 1st round ∂As in Minny, Jimmy Butler and the third stringers beat the starters in a scrimmage.

Starters

As evidenced by the 6.4 POINTS

PER FOURTH QUARTER he scored

last season—even on a star-studded

Sixers team—Jimmy Butler is a bona

fide No. 1 option, a role that is neatly

carved out for him on the less top-heavy Heat.

Miami missed the playoffs last season in large part

because it needed a closer: The Heat outscored

their opponents by an average of 0.5 of a point in

the first three quarters but had a deficit of 0.7 in

the fourth. Butler’s fourth-quarter output was the

12th-best in the league; the Heat’s leader, the since-

retired Dwyane Wade, was 45th (4.6 per game).

With Butler as the clear frontman, Erik

Spoelstra won’t have to tinker with the rotation

as much as he did last season. The 6' 8" veteran

will also make life easier for his teammates, who

won’t be asked to play above their station. Butler

brings a lot to the Heat, but at the start of the

season, simply balancing the roster could be his

biggest contribution. —R.N.

6.4

TELLING NUMBER

GORAN

DRAGIĊ

13.7 PPG; 4.8 APG;

41.3 FG%; 34.8 3FG%

PG

TYLER

HERRO (R)

14.0 PPG; 4.5 RPG;

46.2 FG%; 35.5 3FG%

DION

WAITERS

12.0 PPG; 2.8 APG;

41.4 FG%; 37.7 3FG%

SG SG

ENEMY LINES

A rival scout weighs in

JIMMY

BUTLER*

18.7 PPG; 5.3 RPG;

46.2 FG%; 34.7 3FG%

SF

How many games is

JIMMY BUTLER playing?

He’s not going to play

82. They gave up so
    much depth to get
    Jimmy, he got paid,
    and there’s nothing for
    him to prove now. The
    question I’ve kicked
    around is, Is this team

better than Jimmy’s

last team in Chicago

[in 2016–17]? And

that team was an

eight seed in the East.

Jimmy cannibalizes

possessions. When

he’s your top guy, I

don’t know how good

you are. I’m surprised

nobody’s coined the

term Jimmyball: You win

with Jimmy, you lose

with Jimmy.... I have so

much respect for Erik

Spoesltra. They played

more zone than anyone

last year, and it just

helped them junk up and

get wins. They’re gonna

win games they’re not

supposed to.... I really

like TYLER HERRO. He can

shoot, and he knows

how to read defenses.

All the stuff they ran

for Wayne Ellington,

they can just plug Tyler

in. They do a better job

than anyone when it

comes to freeing up

shooters with screening

action.... BAM ADEBAYO

is such a physical

presence. You can

tell he’s not afraid of

the moment. He can

handle a little bit. He

can take a couple of

dribbles and pass it up.

In the half-court he’s a

little more skilled than

[last year’s center]

Hassan Whiteside. I

don’t know if Bam has

the skill-set to get into

the elite, elite center

conversation. He’s just

not quite big enough

to be the defensive

dominant guy to get

into the Gobert/Towns/

Embiid/Jokić sector,

but he’s next on that

list. You’re happy he’s

on your team.

Projected Lineup

BAM

ADEBAYO

8.9 PPG; 7. 3 RPG;

0.8 BPG; 57.6 FG%

C

JUSTISE

WINSLOW

12.6 PPG; 5.4 RPG;

4.3 APG; 43.3 FG%

SF

Bench

PF

KELLY

OLYNYK

10.0 PPG; 4.7 RPG;

46.3 FG%; 35.4 3FG%

Crystal Ball: 77

ISSAC BALDIZON/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (BUTLER)

Heat

MIAMI

2018 – 19 RECORD 39– 43 3rd in Southeast

COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA 12th season with Heat

THE

EAST