Just when the Miami Heat thought they were getting their star player back from injury, Jimmy Butler suffered a right foot sprain in his return game against the Utah Jazz. Butler has now missed seven of the last eight games with lower body injuries.
Surprisingly, the Heat have gone 5-2 in that stretch. The Heat have continued to show that they are a deep team whose players are capable of stepping up when called upon. Here is a ranking of who stepped up the most in Butler’s absence.
13. Thomas Bryant
Thomas Bryant has fallen out of the rotation for the most part. Over the six game span, he played a total of 21 minutes. He had a decent outing in the win against Orlando, in which he scored 12 points in 17 minutes.
12. R.J. Hampton
Injuries have opened up opportunities for R.J. Hampton to play meaningful minutes. He took over as the starting point guard when Lowry missed a few games. He has shown flashes of his potential through his athleticism, but he hasn’t been too impressive in limited minutes so far. He is a project that the Heat will continue to work on.
11. Caleb Martin
Caleb Martin missed some of his own games while Butler was out. This injury has prevented him from ranking higher on this list. Still, he had one decent outing against Atlanta in which he scored 11 points to go along with eight rebounds.
10. Josh Richardson
Like Martin, Josh Richardson has missed a few of his own games. In the games he did play, Richardson was able to knock down a few 3-pointers to boost the team’s offense, except for the game against Atlanta, where he missed all four of his attempts.
9. Haywood Highsmith
Clearly, the Heat have the injury bug. Haywood Highsmith has also missed games over this stretch. When he did play, he was active on defense and seemed to be starting to find a rhythm on offense. Unfortunately, he suffered a concussion and will be out for even more games.
8. Jamal Cain
Jamal Cain has been a two-way project with the Miami Heat for a while. He earned this ranking because of his impressive performance against the Golden State Warriors. He scored 18 points on 50 percent shooting.
6. Kyle Lowry
Kyle Lowry has continued to step up as a leader for the Heat, especially when Butler has been out. His numbers aren’t what they once were, but he still finds ways to impact the game by drawing charges and setting the tone on defense.
5. Kevin Love
Another veteran who has been impressive over this stretch has been Kevin Love. He has continued to rebound the ball well and occasionally knock down 3-pointers. His outlet passes have changed the dynamic of Miami’s fast-break offense, which is critical to their scoring when Butler is out. His 20 points against the Suns helped keep the Heat in the game.
4. Duncan Robinson
Duncan Robinson has become the guy who steps up whenever the Miami Heat need him to. He has knocked down 17 3-pointers in the games Butler has missed, while shooting the ball at a very high clip. His development as an all-around basketball player has been on full display, especially his ability to attack the basket. His best performance came against the Atlanta Hawks, in which he scored 27 points and knocked down four triples.
3. Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. is looking like the steal of the 2023 NBA Draft. He might already be the fourth or fifth best player on a Heat team that just went to the NBA Finals last postseason. In Butler’s absence, his skillset has been on full display.
Jaquez has replaced Butler in the starting lineup. His most impressive game so far came on Christmas Day, in which he logged 31 points and 10 rebounds to help lead Miami to victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
2. Tyler Herro
Luckily for the Heat, when Butler went out, Tyler Herro came back. He has been nothing short of sensational on the offensive side of the floor. In the five wins without Butler. Herro averaged a team-high 25.4 points per game. Herro has shown his ability to score at an elite level. Even though the team has been winning without him, his scoring ability is invaluable.
However, it would be nice to see the starting core of this Heat team play more games together. Due to injuries to players like Herro and Butler, Spoelstra has been forced to try a league-leading 18 different starting lineups this season.
1. Bam Adebayo
Bam Adebayo has put the Miami Heat on his back this season and has been their clear best player overall so far. Bam’s leadership and ability on both ends of the floor have helped drive the Heat to a 5-1 record over the last six games without Butler. Bam continues to show why he is an All-Defense NBA player. Without Butler, the spotlight has been on him. He has proven that he is capable of leading this team to success.
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