Pat Riley Has Huge Words of Appreciation for Jimmy Butler, But Admits Miami Heat Needs More Like Him

Published 10/23/2020, 3:33 PM EDT

The Miami Heat finished the 2019-20 season just 2 wins away from winning an NBA Championship. However, this success wouldn’t have been possible without Jimmy Butler.

When Butler came to Miami, the common narrative was that he tanked the players’ chemistry in the locker room. However, a fantastic 2020 playoff run brought that narrative to an end.

Butler proved to be an amazing leader for this Miami Heat team, and they will be looking forward to running it back with him at the helm come 2021. President Pat Riley praised the 5-time All-Star in a recent Zoom session discussing the future of the franchise.

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“Jimmy chose us, he chose us and he chose this team, this owner, this coach, this president, this city… Jimmy is a whale or an orca and he’s great for us…

“He just wants to win and that’s what you want. He knows when you have to take it to another level and he is capable of taking it to another level… We’d like to find some more, if we can find ’em.”

Riley: “Jimmy is a whale.” Then explains why.
But ends with “We’d like to have some more (whales). If we can find them.” pic.twitter.com/4ulnl6tNNY
— Clay Ferraro (@ClayWPLG) October 23, 2020

With Butler playing at an amazing level, the Heat have to capitalize on this window. Moreover, they have 3 young stars in Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, and Duncan Robinson, who performed tremendously in the Playoffs.

Next year, the Heat will be a legitimate threat to make it out of the East, and this time around no one will underestimate them.

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Are the Miami Heat favorites to win the East once again?

Although Miami have a fantastic roster, there are no sure shot favorites to win the East next year. With Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving finding their way back to action, the Nets will be the favorites to not only dominate the East but the entire league.

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Moreover, the Bucks, Celtics, and Raptors all have amazing teams to dethrone the Miami Heat as the Eastern Conference champions. The race for a spot in the NBA Finals will definitely be closer than ever.

The Heat are right there in the mix as well, but what do you think? Can Jimmy Butler carry the Heat to another fantastic playoff run or was this a one-off miracle?

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Written by:

Aikansh Chaudhary is an NBA columnist for Essentially Sports. Previously, he helped rank various websites using the latest SEO techniques, and wrote over 2000 articles during his stint as a freelance writer. A die hard Lakers fan, Aikansh will forever uphold LeBron James as the GOAT.

Pat Riley Has Huge Words of Appreciation for Jimmy Butler, But Admits Miami Heat Needs More Like Him

Are the Miami Heat favorites to win the East once again?

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