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Jimmy Butler was a notable absentee in both of the Miami Heat's preseason games thus far. Come Sunday's clash against the Memphis Grizzlies, the forward will be one of the senior players set to suit up, as the Heat have three more preseason games remaining.
With the think-tank opting to rest their superstars in the first two games, this encounter will provide a look at the rotations that Erik Spoelstra can deploy once the regular season gets underway.
Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro are all certain starters, and will almost certainly play limited minutes. With two games against the Brooklyn Nets and the Houston Rockets coming up, their time on the floor will be ramped up.
On his part, Butler was instrumental in taking the eighth-seeded Heat to the NBA Finals where they lost 4-1 to the Denver Nuggets. He averaged 22.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in the regular season, and switched to "Playoff Jimmy" mode in the postseason, notching up 26.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game.
The 2023 season will see Jimmy Butler and the Heat attempt to fend off tough competition in the East, especially after the Milwaukee Bucks traded for Damian Lillard.
Jimmy Butler's mindset was compared to that of the late Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant's 'Mamba Mentality' was all about perseverance and the doggedness to see things through. Jimmy Butler's mindset was compared to that of the late Los Angeles Lakers legend, Andre Iguodala.
Speaking on the "Gil's Arena" podcast, the veteran was all praise for Butler after he led the Heat from a play-in scenario to the finals:
"He's probably the closest that I've seen to Kobe Bryant with that mentality of just man, Jimmy will figure out a way for us to win. I've never seen a will like that. I'm like this dude got a Kobe Bryant will. A will to him to win."
The forward is one of the bigger names in the NBA without a ring to his name yet, but given his win-at-all-cost mentality and his natural leadership abilities, it's hard to not consider the Heat as legitimate title contenders. Only time will tell if this season belongs to Jimmy Butler and Miami.
