What Does a Jimmy Butler Return Mean for Miami?

Jimmy Butler made the trip to New Orleans for Miami’s final game before the All-Star break, but he’s still listed at questionable. But it’s clear that he wouldn’t have gone with them if there wasn’t a very good chance he was going to suit up.

With that being said, it’s necessary to discuss the meaning of Butler playing tonight, other than the obvious elevation that occurs when he’s on the floor.

The team currently sits at 17-18, which means this is ultimately a pretty big swing game for this team mentally. Getting a week off with a record of 18-18 or 17-19 are two majorly different things, which is why I feel a win against Atlanta on Tuesday would have led to Butler not making the trip.

But, that’s not the current situation. The current state is that this team wants to get back to .500, so they can return from the All-Star break with a clean slate.

Bam Adebayo is listed as questionable for tonight’s game as well, due to left knee tendinitis. But knowing his track record, I think it’s pretty clear the team is preparing for him to play.

The reason that is important is due to recency bias, since Adebayo had a rough night against the Hawks, mostly because of his lack of aggression. That means a bounce back game against New Orleans to finish off the first half of the season holds much more than many may think.

The terms and phrases that have been used time and time again between players are “playing together” or something along the lines of “confidence.” And well, 18-18 puts you right in the mix around the four seed in the East, which is quite impressive considering the roller coaster of events that have occurred throughout their first 35 games.

Boston’s currently 18-17 while facing the Toronto Raptors tonight, who are 17-18. The New York Knicks have a winnable game against the Detroit Pistons to push them up to 19-18, while Philadelphia, Brooklyn, and Milwaukee are comfortably out in front.

So, that being said, Miami’s not in a terrible spot at the moment. They get a week off, without dealing with All-Star Weekend