Jimmy

Butler

This will be a second straight absence for Butler, which likely means that Haywood Highsmith will start in his place once again. He provided some decent streaming value, mostly through his five steals. Highsmith should be considered a low-end streaming option.

Butler rolled his ankle during the first quarter of Friday’s loss to the Nuggets and did not return. His absence on Sunday will free up minutes for Haywood Highsmith and Pelle Larsson, and the Heat may also have Jaime Jaquez Jr. (conditioning, questionable) in the rotation. Highsmith would be the best option for managers seeking a deep-league streamer.

Butler rolled his ankle during the first quarter, and the Heat officially declared him out at the end of the period. He played seven minutes and finished with two points, one rebound, and two assists. Haywood Highsmith and Josh Richardson are two reserves whose minutes should increase with Butler done for the night.

Miami had a chance to tie the game and send it to overtime, but the Heat never got off a shot. Butler mistakenly dribbled inside the arc, then awkwardly tossed the ball to Tyler Herro after double-clutching a 3-point shot. Herro didn’t get the ball in time, and that was the ballgame. Butler’s had his moments this season, but fantasy managers were hoping for more consistent production than what they’ve received thus far.

Butler had 27 points on 19 shots and made 8-of-11 free throws. He was +11 in 36 minutes and had only one turnover in the one-point loss. Butler missed a shot that would’ve put the Heat up by three with nine second left before Domantas Sabonis’ game-winner with less than one second left. With Butler in a contract year, fantasy managers can expect more games like this. The Heat play the Suns on Wednesday before weekend matchups with the Nuggets and Timberwolves.

Butler’s production still isn’t at the level fantasy managers have grown accustomed to over the years, but he’s now scored 18 points or more in three of his last four. Through five games, Butler sits a few spots outside the top 100 in per-game fantasy value, a far cry from his Yahoo ADP (45). However, with this being a contract year, managers have to bank on Butler kicking things up a few notches throughout the season.

Playing against former teammate Karl-Anthony Towns, Butler had a quiet night at the office. Since scoring three points in Miami’s season-opening loss to the Magic, he’s scored 15 or more in three straight. Butler still isn’t playing to the standard many have come to expect, but there’s a lot of basketball left to be played. Managers who have him rostered should remain patient.

Despite a poor first game, Butler has been far more effective over the last two games. He did a little bit of everything in this one as Miami was able to secure their second straight win. The end of last season was disappointing for Butler and the Heat, so the expectation was that they’d come into this one refocused. This performance is what we expected to see from their star more often this year, and if he can stay healthy, he should be in for a big season. Butler’s ADP fell to the end of the fourth round because of his continued lack of availability, so hopefully that won’t be an issue this year.

After a poor performance in Wednesday’s blowout loss to the Magic, Butler was substantially better in Charlotte. He was aggressive on Saturday, which led to the Heat forward attempting 32 total shots in the win. The Heat and fantasy managers need to see this version of Butler consistently. Miami plays three games in Week 2, beginning with the Pistons on Monday.

On the night Miami officially dedicated the Kaseya Center court to Pat Riley, Butler put up an absolute dud in a 19-point defeat. Players have bad nights all the time, so fantasy managers should not panic over one performance. But this wasn’t the best start for Butler, who’s headed into the final guaranteed year of his current deal and struggled with availability issues in previous seasons.