Jimmy Butler Is Turning into Russell Westbrook (Are Miami Heat in Trouble Given Butler's 3-Point Struggles?)

Jimmy Butler nearly got into a fight with Udonis Haslem and Erik Spoelstra last night. The three were seen having a heated argument on the sideline. I’m not sure what the argument was about, but maybe Haslem should start yelling at Butler for his terrible three-point shooting. 

Jimmy Butler is horrendous from three. To put his struggles into context, think about how bad Russell Westbrook has been from three. Now take Westbrook’s percentage, divide it by three and that’s how bad Butler is right now. 

Since the All-Star break, Butler is shooting 15% from downtown. He finally had a decent game last night against the Warriors, going 2-for-2. However before that, he was shooting 9.7%. 

Butler has never been a great shooter, but this is getting out of hand. Butler’s true value comes in the playoffs, but this shooting will certainly be an issue. During the Heat’s 2020 Finals run, he was passable at 34.7% percent. Last year – when the Heat got swept in the first round – Butler shot 26.7%. 

It looks like he will have a similar performance this year, and that should scare Heat bettors. WynnBET has the Heat’s NBA Finals odds at +1000. I am still a believer in the Heat, but I am concerned. 

If the primary perimeter player on a team can’t shoot threes, it severely limits the offensive ceiling of a team. I’m not saying to burn your Heat tickets right now, but if Butler continues to be worse than RUSSELL WESTBROOK, than a conversation might need to take place about how much we can trust the Heat.