Inside The Heat

3 Storylines to Watch in Jimmy Butler’s Miami Heat Return

Jake Elman|
Dec 1, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) looks to shoot the ball against Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) in the first half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Dec 1, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) looks to shoot the ball against Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) in the first half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Miami Heat superstar Jimmy Butler is expected to return from his seven-game suspension Friday night against the Denver Nuggets.

Here are some storylines to watch in Butler’s first game since Jan. 2.

How much will Butler play?

Butler played only 25 and 27 minutes, respectively, in the two games before his suspension. He’d previously missed nearly two weeks with an illness and subsequent return to game shape.

Unless Butler quietly suffered an injury during his suspension, he’s healthy and ready to go. We’ll see how much he actually plays Friday night, though.

Barring something completely unexpected, we expect Butler starts Friday night. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra hasn’t done anything to imply Butler won’t play or come off the bench. 

Butler has started every game he’s played in six seasons with the Heat. 

How will Heat fans react to Butler’s return?

This could be an issue for Butler and the Heat. If social media is anything to go off, a significant portion of Heat fans are livid (to say the least) with how Butler’s conducted himself during the seemingly never-ending trade saga.

Butler and the Heat can handle criticism and angry fans, especially amid an inconsistent season. However, there’s an obvious difference between booing players for poor performance and booing for trade requests, passive-aggressive comments, and everything else Butler has done in recent months.

Will Heat fans booing Butler matter in the grand scheme of things? Perhaps not. 

Then again, sports fans are notoriously easily swayed. The same fans who potentially boo Butler during pregame introductions will happily cheer him on if he leads the Heat to victory Friday night.

Want more Heat coverage? Check out Ethan Skolnick, Five Reasons Sports, and the Five on the Floor podcast.

What, if anything, will Butler say after the game?

Butler had no problems candidly addressing the media when he requested a trade Jan. 2. So, assuming Butler talks to reporters following the game, the odds favor him possibly saying something interesting.

What that would be, who knows.

Chances are Butler isn’t going to explain why he’d want to play for the Suns or how he’d rather play in Europe than wear a Brooklyn Nets uniform. Don’t expect him to criticize Heat president Pat Riley, either.

However, don’t rule out Butler nonetheless going viral for reasons beyond his play. He’s a 35-year-old athlete in “I don’t care” mode. 

For all we know, Butler will say something controversial enough that the Heat suspend him again. Would anyone truly be surprised at this point?

HEAT BRINGING BACK VICE UNIFORMS

Butler isn’t the only impending returner for the Miami Heat.

The Heat announced Thursday they’ll begin wearing their popular Vice uniforms again, beginning Friday night.

These are the Original Vice jerseys the team first wore in 2018, a year before Butler arrived via trade.

The white Vice uniform replaces the Heat’s traditional white Association look. 

“This ain’t a dream - we’re ready to rock the #TheOriginalVice,” the Heat’s official Twitter (formerly X) account posted.

Butler is expected to return Friday night following his seven-game suspension. The Heat featured a Vice version of Butler’s jersey on their website Thursday morning.

LOVE CELEBRATES BUTLER'S RETURN

Count Heat forward Kevin Love among those excited to see Butler hit the court Friday night.

Love celebrated Butler’s impending return with an Instagram post Thursday. The veteran big man shared an infamous scene from The Wolf of Wall Street where Leonardo DiCaprio’s character expresses he’s “not f----g leaving.”

“LIVE LOOK - Jimmy after his meeting with Micky,” Love wrote, adding a #getmyjoyback caption.

“Micky” refers to Heat owner Micky Arison, who reportedly planned to meet with Butler before Friday’s game against the Nuggets.

The Heat suspended Butler two weeks ago for conduct detrimental to the team; he requested a trade Jan. 2. He remained in Miami during the Heat’s West Coast road trip and worked out at team facilities. 

It is unclear how much Butler will play Friday night. He’s played only 59 total minutes across three games since Dec. 20.

It’s also unknown how the Kaseya Center crowd will react to Butler’s presence. At least he knows Love still has his back. 

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Jake Elman works as a contributing writer to Miami Heat on SI. He can be reached at jakeelman97@gmail.com or follow him on X @JakeElman97.

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Jake Elman
JAKE ELMAN

Jake Elman is a veteran sports journalist and graduate of Florida Atlantic University’s journalism program. In recent years, he has covered the NFL for EndGame360 and served as the sports content lead for ExpressVPN. He also covered the Lane Kiffin years at FAU for the Palm Beach Post.

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