NBA
Denver’s Aaron Gordon said Miami’s Jimmy Butler ‘could arguably be the most complete player’ that he’ll guard this postseason
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated01 Jun 2023
This year’s NBA Finals matchup might not be the flashiest, but that doesn’t mean it’s not going to be entertaining. Despite the Nuggets being the heavy favorites to win this series, the Heat can’t be counted out. Aaron Gordon is well aware of that. He said Miami’s Jimmy Butler ‘could arguably be the most complete player’ that he’ll guard this postseason.
That is extremely high praise coming from Aaron Gordon. Especially since he’s guarded players like LeBron James and Kevin Durant this postseason. Butler’s scoring, rebounding, assist, and steal numbers all increase in the postseason. If the Heat did not have Butler on their roster, they would never be in the position they’re currently in.
Aaron Gordon will have his hands full this series trying to slow down Jimmy Butler. Of the players still left in the 2023 postseason, his (28.5) points per game rank second.
“Out of everybody that I’ve guarded, that we’ve guarded in the playoffs, Jimmy could arguably be the most complete player.”
– Aaron Gordon pic.twitter.com/594g97UzXu
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) June 1, 2023
The Denver Nuggets know they need to slow down Jimmy Butler in the NBA Finals
Miami’s Jimmy Butler should take pride in Aaron Gordon’s comments about him. Gordon knows the impact that Butler makes for his team on both sides of the ball. His quote is most impactful due to the other competition that Gordon has faced this postseason.
He’s guarded LeBron James and Kevin Durant, two players who will be Hall of Famers someday. However, that doesn’t mean that Jimmy Butler can’t be better than those two at this moment in time. The impact he makes for the Heat is not replaceable.
In the 2023 postseason, Butler has made 17 starts and has only missed one game due to injury. He missed one game in the second round vs the Knicks but has been fine since then. Butler is averaging (28.5) points, (7.0) rebounds, (5.7) assists, and (2.1) steals per game. He’s also averaging six more minutes played per game this postseason.
