Miami Heat's Losing Streak Spoils Jimmy Butler Making Debut In MVP Ladder

A week ago, Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler was getting a little mention as a darkhorse candidate for the NBA's MVP.

Those hopes are gone after the Heat dropped three straight games and are now trying to get out of the play-in tournament. Still, Butler received some love in this week's NBA.com MVP Ladder.

Butler checked in at No. 10, making his first appearance in the rankings. The scenario would have been different last year if Butler had the same season. He had the Heat's No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference to add weight to his candidacy but this season was full of inconsistency.

Instead, Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets) regained his top spot on the ladder, ahead of Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers), Giannis Antetokounmpo, (Milwaukee Bucks), Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics) and Domantas Sabonis (Sacremento Kings).

Regardless, Butler is in good company this season. He just would prefer more wins than individual accolades.

MORE HEAT-RELATED STORIES

How Heat Twitter reacted to Wednesday's loss to Knicks. CLICK HERE

Takeaways from Wednesday's loss to Knicks. CLICK HERE

Dwyane Wade elected to Hall of Fame. CLICK HERE

For a look at some of the latest Heat apparel. CLICK HERE

If you wanna bet on any games at @PrizePicks or PrizePicks.com, use our link and code. They will match your first bet for up to $100. Here's the code: PR-R1YOFY6Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat.

TWITTER: @ShandelRich

Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here

For any Heat or NBA questions, please email shandelrich@gmail.com