Despite the messy ending to Jimmy Butler’s run in Miami, the case for hanging No. 22 in the rafters is pretty hard to ignore.
Butler spent six years with the Heat and left behind a stretch that changed the feel of the franchise. When he arrived in the summer of 2019, Miami had reached the playoffs only twice in the previous five seasons, from 2014-15 through 2018-19. The team was searching for direction after Chris Bosh’s career was cut short because of blood clots, Dwyane Wade had returned for a two-year stint before retiring, and Hassan Whiteside’s production had dropped after he signed a four-year, $98.4 million deal in the summer of 2016.
Butler stepped into that vacuum and immediately became the engine.
His postseason résumé with Miami is loaded with signature moments, starting with the 2020 Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers won the Larry O’Brien trophy in six games, but Butler’s grit was impossible to miss.
In Game 3, he put up a 40-point triple-double with 11 rebounds, 13 assists, two steals, and two blocks. Then came Game 5, when he followed with a 35-point triple-double, adding 12 rebounds, 11 assists, five steals, and a block.
There was also the image that summed up so much of what he brought: Butler bent over and exhausted, catching his breath on the barriers close to the basket.
His best single-game playoff burst may have come in 2022 against the Boston Celtics. In Game 6 at TD Garden, Butler played 46 minutes and erupted for 47 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, four steals, and a block to force a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals. The performance drew a resemblance to what LeBron James did in 2012 in that same building.
Then came the 2022-23 run, which may be the clearest example of Butler’s impact. Miami got through two Play-In Tournament games to reach the playoffs as the No. 8 seed, then stunned the No. 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks.
The Heat grabbed a 2-1 series lead, and Butler took over from there. He scored 56 points in Game 4 in Miami and then 42 in Game 5 at Fiserv Forum to finish the series.
That made the Heat the sixth team in league history to beat a No. 1 seed as an eighth seed. Butler pushed Miami all the way back to the NBA Finals, where the roster’s lack of size caught up to it in a five-game loss to the Denver Nuggets.
Even without a championship, Butler’s footprint on the franchise is unmistakable. He was a five-time All-NBA selectee who never publicly complained about the talent around him. Instead, he lifted teammates, gave them chances, and brought belief to a team that badly needed it.
Whether Miami will actually retire his jersey is another question. The way things ended could still make that a difficult decision. But once that wound heals, the idea of honoring Butler in the rafters feels well earned.
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Donovan Mitchell Just Validated What Heat Fans Believe About This Roster
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Mitchell also made clear he still values Thompsons shooting reputation, even with the veteran coming off a down statistical season, and he pushed back on any suggestion that V.J. Edgecombe is simply the better pure shooter. For the Heat, that matters because the conversation around the roster keeps circling back to how many different players can bend a defense with the three ball, and the next round of regular-season meetings with Cleveland should only sharpen that debate. [Read more 🡒]