After making the NBA Finals last season as the 5-seed in the Eastern Conference, the Miami Heat have struggled to find their rhythm this year, as they are currently 11-14 through 25 games. A lot of the blame for their struggles this year has to go on the injuries and health & safety protocols that have kept players out, but nonetheless, this team has still underperformed.
While they played with a lot of confidence last year and had a certain type of “swagger” on their roster, it almost seems like this year’s Heat team plays somewhat scared and passive at times. They just do not look as confident out there on the court, which will hopefully change now that Jimmy Butler is back in the lineup and fully healthy.
The Miami Heat are 3-9 without Jimmy Butler this season, proving how valuable he is to this organization. Not only was Butler criticized before going to the Heat with people saying he was a cancer to any locker room and was not a good teammate, but he absolutely gained the respect of everyone with the way he has led this Heat team.
He is absolutely adored by this franchise and the players on it and deserves the respect from everyone covering the NBA for what he did last season. When Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic went down with injuries in the NBA Finals, Jimmy Butler was the one who elevated his game to a whole new level we have not seen from him and looked like one of the best players in the NBA.
The Miami Heat are going to need this same energy and leadership from Jimmy Butler for the rest of this season if they are going to have any shot of making it back to the NBA Finals. In addition to Butler’s play, the Heat could also look to the trade market ahead of this year’s NBA trade deadline to fill in the “holes” on this roster.
There are some areas the Miami Heat could improve at, which is why the Heat will likely pull off a trade or two before the NBA trade deadline in March. Let’s take a look at three perfect trade ideas for the Heat to make to compliment their two All-Stars in Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.
