Inside The Heat

Jimmy Butler Becoming a Fan of the Miami Heat's `Big Yurt'

Jimmy Butler and Omer Yurtseven hoping to build an even stronger chemistry on the court
Shandel Richardson|
Jimmy Butler Becoming a Fan of the Miami Heat's `Big Yurt'
Jimmy Butler Becoming a Fan of the Miami Heat's `Big Yurt'

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Miami Heat

Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler has a habit of bonding with the team's younger players. 

He's done it with Duncan Robinson, Tyler Herro and Max Strus. Add center Omer Yurtseven to the list of those who Butler has embraced. 

Butler has been impressed with how Yurtseven has quickly adapted, especially when the Heat need outside contributors from their core because of injuries. 

Yurtseven had 16 points and 15 rebounds in the Heat's victory against the Orlando Magic. It was his first NBA start. 

“He a hell of a player," Butler said. "He can pick-and-pop. He is a monster whenever he decides to roll. I just told him the harder that you roll, the more layups you are going to get and then you can start to pop. You can’t pop first because our offense doesn’t allow for that to happen because we have shooters pulling behind the ball. Like with anything, the more reps you get, he is in and out of the lineup with different guys and we play differently whenever I am playing, or Kyle (Lowry) is playing, or Bam (Adebayo) is playing."

Yurtseven, who is averaging 4.2 points and 4.2 rebounds, has already been labeled the "Big Yurt" by some fans. It is a play of former MLB star Frank Thomas, who was called the "Big Hurt." 

Instead of worrying about nicknames, Yurtseven is more focused on becoming consistent and playing with confidence.

“I know I can be way more efficient with it," Yurtseven said. "That’s why it’s a big deal. JB told me after the game I could have had 30. I’m good with the mid-range jumper. I could have just taken it to the hoop and gotten the extra and-1. It’s just those little fixes that I’m seeing rather than the overall 15 shots I took.” 

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star. TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here

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