Heat's Jimmy Butler drops 'brutally honest' take on 'prime' status amid trade drama

01/07/2025 03:37 PM

As Jimmy Butler prepares to begin the next chapter of his career, the 35-year-old still believes that he is at the peak of his powers. While dealing with the suspension and trade drama involving Miami Heat president Pat Riley, the six-time All-Star claimed that he is still in his prime.

“I still think I’m in my prime, if I’m being brutally honest,” Butler said, via The Washington Post.

Butler has never lacked confidence, even 14 years into his NBA career. The quote came shortly after reports stated that the outspoken star believes he can still turn any team into a championship contender. Many rolled their eyes at that sentiment but he has done just that with every team he has graced.

Butler most recently joined a new organization when he was traded to the Heat in 2019. The season before he arrived, Miami finished 10th in the Eastern Conference with a 39-43 record. In his first season, he brought the team to a surprising NBA Finals appearance, its first in six years.

Just three seasons later, Butler led the Heat to another underdog run to the NBA Finals. The Heat became the second-ever No. 8 seed to make the NBA Finals in league history, joining the New York Knicks in 1999. Overall, he has taken Miami to two NBA Finals and three Eastern Conference Finals in five and a half seasons.

Is Jimmy Butler still in his athletic prime?

However, even with Butler’s proven track record as a winner, history is against him. Multiple studies suggest that the average prime of an NBA player is roughly between the ages of 26 and 30, with most beginning to decline around 31 or 32 years old. At 35, Butler has begun to show signs of potentially slowing down.

Through 22 games in 2024-2025, Butler’s 17.6 points per game are a significant decrease from the 20.8 he posted a year ago. His scoring numbers have gone down every year since 2020-2021. The amount of games he has appeared in has consistently decreased each year since the 2022-2023 season. His current seven-game suspension certainly affects those numbers, but he had already missed multiple games with an ankle injury.

Butler has also been criticized lately for a supposed lack of effort in the regular season. While he has consistently been one of the league’s best postseason performers, he is prone to frequent off-games in the regular season, leading to the Heat ending consecutive years in the play-in tournament.

As Butler has regressed, he has supported Tyler Herro’s subsequent rise to become the Heat’s new leading scorer. Herro currently averages 23.9 points and 5.1 assists per game, leading Miami in both categories.

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