Q: Ira, where are all your readers now complaining about Jimmy Butler taking time off or being over the hill? We don’t win that game without him. He still is him. – Evan.
A: Yes, Monday night very much was a reminder of all that Jimmy Butler can be. It’s almost as if he put it into playoff gear just to show he still has that gear. This is the tradeoff, that Jimmy will take all the time that he believes he needs during the season, but that he also still has that undeniable next gear. And the fact that he had to go big minutes and was still up to them after sitting out all but one game over the past month shows that the conditioning remains elite, even at 34. Monday stood as a welcomed reminder, with 31 points on 8 of 12 from the field and 15 of 16 from the line in 40:18.
Q: Do you think Jimmy Butler has healed enough to take Jamie Jaquez Jr.’s spot until JJ can return? – Robert, Ocala.
A: Ironic, isn’t it, that when one returns the other goes out? And that is the story of the first half of the 2023-24 Miami Heat season. The optimal outcome would be Jimmy Butler with the starters and then Jaime Jaquez Jr. off the bench with the reserves. For now, as with so much with the Heat this season, that is on hold.
Q: We have yet to have a game with all our top nine guys healthy this season? — David.
A: That actually is difficult to answer for reasons even beyond the injuries. With so many players having missed time this season, I’m not even sure we can identify the top nine players. The givens are Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Janine Jaquez Jr., Duncan Robinson, Caleb Martin, Kevin Love and Kyle Lowry, as the team’s lone true point guard. That’s eight right there. And that’s not even getting to Haywood Highsmith, Nikola Jovic and Josh Richardson. So while the injuries have limited cohesion, they also have opened eyes to additional possibilities. For now, the tough decisions can be on hold, with Jaquez and Love out.