As trade rumors have swirled over the last month, Jimmy Butler’s play has been a roller coaster.
In his final two games before the Miami Heat suspended him for seven games for multiple instances of “conduct detrimental to the team,” Butler took just 11 total shots in 50 minutes and looked disengaged. But in the 11 games he played from Nov. 18 to Dec. 16, he averaged 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists while shooting 60 percent from the field, and the Heat went 8-3.
Butler, when engaged, can still really play. What has been in question, however, is his ability to play a full schedule (he has not played more than 65 games in a regular season since 2016-17) and the mercurial nature of his personality.