Jimmy Butler is taking and making more threes this season, and the Heat is all for it

Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler is usually the one trying to infuse confidence in his teammates. But this time, Heat coaches and teammates are trying to fuel Butler with confidence.

“These guys, they actually believe I’m a 50 percent three-point shooter,” Butler said with a grin. “Damn, I love my teammates for that. Take them whenever you’re open, which I will do. If that’s what translates to wins, then we got to take them and I got to make them.”

With Heat coaches and players continuing to urge Butler to put up more three-pointers, he has made it a bigger part of his offensive game this season. Butler entered Monday night’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls at United Center shooting 13 of 29 (44.8 percent) from three-range this season, which is the most efficient three-point shooting percentage among Heat players who have taken at least 20 three-point attempts.

Not only is Butler making threes at a standout rate, he has also attempted more this season. He entered Monday averaging 2.6 three-point attempts per game, which would be the most he has put up per game since joining the Heat in the 2019 offseason.

Butler, who is in his fifth season with the Heat, shot just 26.6 percent on 1.9 three-point attempts per game in his first four regular seasons with the team. Instead, he has made an All-NBA team in three of his first four seasons with the Heat by most of his production coming from inside the three-point line and from the foul line.

“People think he’s not going to shoot it,” Heat center Bam Adebayo said when asked about Butler taking more threes this season. “We yell at him, coaches yell at him. Obviously, he does what he wants. But for him to finally listen to us and actually shoot the ball, it just makes our team more dynamic.”

Just how consistent of a three-point threat has Butler become early this season? Butler entered Monday with at least one made three in seven straight games, which is his longest such regular-season streak since joining the Heat.

Before this stretch, Butler’s longest regular-season streak with at least one made three in a Heat uniform was just four games. Also, Butler made at least one three-pointer in 10 consecutive playoff games during the Heat’s 2022 postseason run that ended in the Eastern Conference finals.

But Butler, 34, isn’t waiting until the playoffs to take more threes this season.

“This has been a normal progression for him and a normal progression as a great player, that now teams are really kind of daring him to shoot that,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “To do whatever they have to do to try to keep him out of the paint and keep him off the free-throw line.”

At this pace, Butler would finish the regular season with 82 made threes. The most three-pointers Butler has made in a season since landing with the Heat is 36, and that happened last regular season.

Butler scored 92.6 percent of his points from two-point range and at the foul line last regular season. That number is down to 83.8 percent this season through the Heat’s first 13 games.

“He’s keeping teams honest,” Spoelstra said. “If you’re just going to allow him to shoot that little touch shot from three, he’s extremely accurate with that shot, and I think it’s the right shot for our team. And until the scouting reports change, yeah, we all encourage him to take that.”

Butler has joked that he’s trying to shoot 50 percent from behind the arc this regular season, signaling 50 percent with his hands to the Heat’s bench whenever he makes a three-pointer in recent games.

Butler entered Monday on pace to shoot 182 threes this regular season. Jason Kapono (with the Heat in 2006-07), Steve Kerr (with the Bulls in 1995-96), Tim Legler (with the then-Washington Bullets in 1995-96) and Detlef Schrempf (with the Seattle SuperSonics in 1994-95) are the only players in NBA history to shoot 50 percent or better on a least 180 three-point attempts in a regular season.

“It does take some pressure off knowing that despite what I shoot from three, it will be second to him,” Heat sharpshooter Duncan Robinson said with a smile when asked about Butler’s recent three-point surge.

JOVIC, CAIN, SWIDER SHINE IN G LEAGUE

Heat second-year forward Nikola Jovic impressed in his G League season debut with the organization’s developmental affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

Jovic, who was selected by the Heat in the first round of last year’s draft, closed his first G League game of the season with a team-high 26 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field, 4-of-8 shooting on threes and 5-of-5 shooting from the foul line, three rebounds and three assists in 33 minutes during the Skyforce’s 123-121 loss to the Wisconsin Herd on Sunday night in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

“This is a big part of his development and you can see why we’re really encouraged by his improvement,” Spoelstra said when asked about Jovic’s G League season debut following Monday’s morning shootaround in Chicago. “We have a very intentional plan with him, and getting game minutes right now is the most important thing. He’s checked all the other boxes in terms of weight room, conditioning, player development, drilling behind the scenes. But now he needs 5-on-5,-and I want him to get a lot of minutes down there and I want to give him as many games as possible in the next several weeks.”

Spoelstra said Saturday the plan is for Jovic, 20, to spend four or five games in the G League before rejoining the Heat but “then I want to send him out again hopefully for a little bit longer of a stint.” Jovic has been out of the Heat’s rotation to start the season, playing in just two games so far.

Heat two-way contract players Jamal Cain and Cole Swider also turned in quality performances for the Skyforce on Sunday.

Cain finished with 25 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field and 3-of-3 shooting on threes, 12 rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block.

Swider contributed 18 points on 6-of-15 shooting from the field and 4-of-10 shooting on threes, four rebounds, two assists and three steals.

“Jamal Cain has really been playing winning basketball, and he did it on both ends of the court,” Spoelstra said. “This is not something of last night, his stints there have been very impactful. I know he wanted to have close to an undefeated record whenever he goes there, similar to what Orlando [Robinson] was talking about last year. So that was encouraging. And Cole’s minutes, also, were very strong, as well.”

The Heat’s coaching staff got together and watched Sunday’s G League game from Spoelstra’s Chicago hotel room, while Butler made the short 175-mile flight to Oshkosh to attend the game.

“I thought it was funny. I didn’t know,” Spoelstra said of noticing Butler sitting courtside at Sunday’s Skyforce game. “The rest of the staff knew and so we all got together and had deep dish pizza and watched the game in my room. Then all of a sudden, we noticed that Jimmy was there. I was like, ‘How did he get there?’ It’s a 3.5-hour drive. And of course, when you’re of Jimmy’s caliber, flights are so much easier. What a life. If I was one of those players, yeah I would have been extremely motivated, which they were. That’s a cool aspect and that was fun to see.”

▪ Tyler Herro (sprained ankle), R.J. Hampton (sprained knee), Jovic (G League), Cain (G League) and Swider (G League) remain out for the Heat in Monday’s game against the Bulls.

The Heat said Herro is out of his walking boot. Herro is set to be re-evaluated later this week.