MIAMI – Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat have eight days until the start of the season at home against the Chicago Bulls.
Before that, Butler and his teammates held a practice at FTX Arena on Tuesday.
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Miami has one preseason game left, on Monday night against the Pelicans.
After practice Tuesday, Butler talked about the upcoming season.
On emerging player Jamal Cain, Butler said, “I think he’s an NBA player. He rebounds, he’s guards, he’s shooting the ball incredibly well right now and he listens. That’s the biggest thing to do when you’re coming into a team with vets and younger guys. You gotta be able to learn and play that role, and he’s doing that greatly.”
Butler said the team doesn’t need a game to get ready for the season. Butler said, “Practice is another way of a dress rehearsal. We’re out here getting at every day. Whenever you get in a game that’s the easy part. You just have to maintain your conditioning, make sure you’re in a rhythm... If you put five really good basketball players out there, and really good role players, they’re going to figure it out.”
Butler said the player that’s impressed him most in training camp is Tyler Herro.
Butler said Herro came back as a new player and he’s proud of him.
On rookie Nikola Jovic, Butler said, “He just moves too fast. You can tell he understands where the ball needs to go, he knows his place on the floor, but at times he gets a little bit excited. He shoots when he’s open, he passes it when he’s not. He’s smart even though he hasn’t graduated from high school yet, think about that.”
Butler said that Duncan Robinson could always dribble, but he was scared to do it. He knows Robinson is going to surprise people how much he finishes around the rim.
Butler said the rotations don’t matter to him. He said the season is so long and the lineup is going to undergo so many changes.