Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra praises Jimmy Butler for not focusing on stats

It was somewhat fitting when Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra made the comments.

On Thursday, he gushed about how guard Jimmy Butler is helping the Heat off to a strong start despite not putting up big numbers. Through 35 games, Butler is averaging 20.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.6 assists.

They aren’t exactly superstar numbers or what is projected of a max player but have contributed to the Heat reaching the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference standings a month from the NBA All-Star break.

“I know that's what everybody will look to, quite naturally,” Spoelstra said after the Heat’s victory against the Toronto Raptors. There’s going to be ebbs and flows with the season …but I think that's what young players should learn coming into the league, of what a max player actually means.”

The subject surfaced a few days before the Heat face the Portland Trail Blazers and former center Hassan Whiteside. Sunday marks the first time Whiteside returns to AmericanAirlines Arena since being traded in July.

Whiteside was the Heat’s highest-paid the past four seasons but never had an impact like Butler. Many felt he was too concerned with statistics, playing time and he often discussed improving his rating on video games.

While Spoelstra never mentioned Whiteside by name, he did indicate Butler is a player who cares about more than just numbers. In Butler's eyes, wins are most important.

“It's not about stats, it's not about that final number on the box score, it's not about whatever (NBA 2K) numbers you can get,” Spoelstra said. “It's not. It's about how your team functions and are you winning because of a player?”

Erik Spoelstra’s response to my question about Jimmy Butler’s shooting... which veered into 2K pic.twitter.com/O84fbHwNKJ
— Five Reasons Sports 🏀🏈⚾️🏒⚽️ (@5ReasonsSports) January 3, 2020

The Heat are 11-2 when Butler makes five or fewer field goals. The biggest part of the early success is his willingness to impact the game in other ways while trusting his young teammates. It has helped rookies Kendrick Nunn and Tyler Herro and second-year forward Duncan Robinson adapt quicker.

That’s how Butler’s worth has been measured most within the organization.

“And there's no debate about this, he’s having an incredible impact on our winning, on our bottomline,” Spoelstra said. “And that's why we chased him so hard as a max player. That should be the definition from here on out, but it's not. It gets clouded. Too often it becomes about stats or people who can pile up a bunch of stats, even at a young age, but they're empty stats and they don't impact winning.”