Is Jimmy Butler playing tonight? Exploring Heat superstar’s availability vs Pelicans (Oct. 13)

The Miami Heat will welcome the New Orleans Pelicans to Florida on Sunday, with Jimmy Butler expected to be the headline name on display. The Heat superstar isn't on the injury report, so he will suit up at the Kaseya Center for the preseason encounter against the Pelicans.

During the preseason, most NBA coaches prefer to rotate their lineups and offer fringe players an opportunity on the court. Butler should start but will likely see limited minutes.

This will be the Heat's second game of the preseason and first at home. They are still looking for their first win after coming off a 111-108 loss to the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center on Tuesday.

Butler featured in the Heat's preseason opener against the Hornets on Oct. 8. The forward played 16 minutes and finished with 11 points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal. He shot 3-of-6 from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line.

When healthy, Jimmy Butler is considered one of the league's elite players. The Texas native is a complete player who's capable of scoring, passing, dribbling and playing defense at a high level.

Butler has been selected NBA All-Star Game six times. He was named to the All-NBA Second Team in 2023 and to the All-NBA Third Team on four occasions. The 6-foot-7 small forward is also regarded as one of the game's premier defenders and has been voted to the All-Defensive Second Team five times.

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Jimmy Butler is still in search of his first NBA title after 13 seasons in the league

Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (Photo Credit: Imagn)

The Chicago Bulls drafted Jimmy Butler in the first round of the 2011 NBA Draft. He spent six seasons will the organization before moving on to the Minnesota Timberwolves and then the Philadelphia 76ers. In 2019, he was traded to the Miami Heat.

During his career, Butler has garnered numerous personal accolades, but the gifted athlete is still in search of a his first NBA championship as he enters his 14th year in the league.

Butler has come close to winning a ring, reaching the NBA finals on two occasions. In 2020, his Miami Heat team fell short against the LA Lakers, losing 4-2 in the Finals. In 2023, the Heat returned to the Finals, where they faced a Nikola Jokic-led Denver Nuggets team. Despite some strong performances from Butler, Denver won the series in five games.