Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo among league's top 20 players according to formula

If the NBA regular season is indeed over, the Miami Heat will have two of the league's best players statistically.

At least that's what a formula based on a combination of statistics says. Forbes Magazine recently compiled the ratings based on data from Basketball Reference, ESPN, FiveThirtyEight, Basketball Index and NBA.com. It ranked Heat guard Jimmy Butler tied at ninth with Oklahoma City's Chris Paul while center Bam Adebayo was No. 19.

The numbers were calculated by combining various statistical rankings such as plus/minus, scoring per 36 minutes and player estimate.

Butler finished with a 14.75 average; Adebayo had a 38.3. Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo topped the list with an average ranking of 1.5, followed by Houston Rockets guard James Harden (2.5), Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (3.17), Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (5.25) and Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (5.75).

Former Heat center Hassan Whiteside, who was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers last offseason, ranked 16th at 26.83. Forward Duncan Robinson was the next Heat player at No. 76 (90.17).

Butler, in his first season in Miami, leads the team with 20.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 6.1 assists a game. He was chosen for his fifth NBA All-Star game and has helped the Heat to a 41-24 record. The Heat, who hold the No. 4 spot in the Eastern Conference, have secured a postseason berth after missing the playoffs three of the past five seasons.

The third-year Adebayo is in the middle of a breakout year. He earned his first All-Star appearance and is averaging career-highs in points (16.2), rebounds (10.5) and assists (5.1).

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