Jimmy Butler explains which teammate reminds him of a younger version of himself

After Miami’s last victory on Sunday, they’ve retaken their status as potential contenders to this season’s title. Even though they suffered mixed results at the start of the campaign, now it seems that Jimmy Butler has led the charge and inspire the squad’s younger players to empower their respective roles on the court. 

Another player who has been outstanding so far is Tyler Herro, who also proved to be able to handle a pivotal role in the Heat’s 123-118 win over the Mavericks this weekend. Co-star Butler praised him after the game: “He just does everything. He can shoot the ball, he can handle it, he can finish, he can guard.”

When asked to further explain Tyler’s impact in recent games, the 35-year-old veteran explained why this teammate reminds him of a younger version of himself. “I think as the game continuously slows down for him, he’s just going to get more and more comfortable and better. It’s really going to be hard for Spo [Erik Spoelstra] to take him off the floor,” he said.

Heat players in their win vs the Mavs:
Butler: 33 PTS 9 REB 6 AST
Bam: 19 PTS 11 REB 5 AST
Herro: 18 PTS 10 REB 5 AST

Miami moves to 7-7 on the season pic.twitter.com/uBsbiF83xk

— Tyler Herro Muse ☆ (@danhurleyuconn) November 25, 2024

“I like the way that I always see him in early and leaving late,” Butler continued his praise. “Honestly, he reminds me of myself whenever I was younger in this league. He could probably shoot the ball a lot better than I could, though.”

The reason the veteran guard has been going on and on about Tyler, is because his display against Dallas was just another testament of his constant growth throughout the years. The sharpshooter posted 18 points, 10 defensive rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal, while shooting 8-for-25 from the field on Sunday.

The truth is, Herro has become increasingly consistent as this campaigns unfolds. Thee 24-year-old from Wisconsin is even matching some of his career-best numbers this season, averaging 34.4 minutes and 23.8 points per contest.

During his sixth year in the NBA, Tyler has finally become an integral part of coach Erik Spoelstra’s game plan. The player has converted 115 of his 245 field goal shots, 58 of 136 three-pointers, and 45 of 52 free throws, tallying a total of 333 points this 2024-25 campaign.

Butler reached his season-high in points against Dallas and thanked his coach for all the guidance he’s given him throughout the years

After dropping in a season-high 33 points on Sunday, Jimmy Butler thanked his coach. “I feel like I gotta start attacking more often whenever I’m aggressive like that, like the guys want me to be, like Spo always telling me to be,” he shared. “It opens up a lot more for everybody else. So if I can spearhead that part of the offense, we good. Now, just got to figure out how to do it on the defensive side.”

The All-Star veteran also gave credit to Spoelstra for creating the play that sent the match into overtime. “I just saw that he got voted the best coach in the association,” Jimmy insisted. “Rightfully so, because he’d be locked in, he’d be studying and stuff like nobody I’ve ever seen. And he drew up something that was incredible. And I hate to say it, but Duncan made an incredible pass.”

However, teammate Bam Adebayo decided to give credit where credit is due and spoke highly of Butler’s ability to decide on making the correct play in clutch moments. “I mean, he’s a smart player, man. He makes the right play all the time,” he said.

The Heat big man, who contributed that night with 19 points and 11 rebounds, feels inspired by his co-stars. “And when it’s all setting up and we feed off of it. You know, we have moments where sometimes it’s Tyler, sometimes it’s me, sometimes it’s him. And right now, it’s him, and we’re behind that,” Bam added.