East Notes: Heat, Jimmy Butler, Pacers, Hawks

By
Sam Amico
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Heat

It will be a big year for star forward Jimmy Butler and the Heat, as Butler is suddenly facing his share of doubters.Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat, NBA news 

Butler, who will be 35 at the start of the season, was ranked sixth on the HoopsHype list of top 30 small forwards.

“It’s unclear how hand in hand that is with Miami choosing not to sign Butler to the max extension he was eligible for this summer but either way, the star forward chose not to make a fuss about it,” wrote HoopsHype’s Frank Urbina.

Butler was ranked one spot behind Paul George, formerly of the Clippers and now of the 76ers.

“For Butler, 2024-25 will be about proving he can stay healthy and not miss so much regular-season time, especially if the soon-to-be-35-year-old is expecting to get one more huge contract in Miami,” Urbina wrote.

  • By the way, guard Tyler Herro said he believes Miami is deep enough to win the title next season. No, really. We have that full post here.

Pacers

Guard Andrew Nembhard likely would be the ultimate X-factor for any team, and that is indeed the case for the Pacers, per Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report.

“Nembhard’s postseason averages of 14.9 points and 5.5 assists are reachable across a full season, even if he’s not going to match the 56.0/48.3/76.9 shooting split he managed in 17 playoff games,” Hughes wrote. “That level of production next to Tyrese Haliburton would either render Bennedict Mathurin expendable or relegate him to the Sixth Man duties his score-only profile has long suggested fits him best.”

That’s interesting, given Mathurin looked on his way to regular All-Star appearances as a rookie two seasons ago.

“Mathurin was the No. 6 overall pick in 2022 and his career scoring average of 15.8 points per game shows he can fill it up,” Hughes added. “But the Pacers won’t be able to justify extending Mathurin if Nembhard continues to be the better overall player at the same position—certainly not with Haliburton and Pascal Siakam already locked in at max rates.”

Hawks

Where the Hawks fit in the Eastern Conference standings this season is one of the NBA’s biggest mysteries. A lot of it may come down to No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher and how ready he is to make an immediate impact.

Another factor undoubtedly will be the rise of forward Jalen Johnson. Can he keep a good thing going?

Of course, when talking Hawks, we all know it starts with Trae Young — perhaps now more than ever, given how the team traded Dejounte Murray to the Pelicans.

This was all covered in an excellent piece by Jackson Caudell of SI.com.

“While I don’t view the Hawks as a top contender in the Eastern Conference, I actually think they are being underrated right now. I think trading Dejounte Murray is a plus for this team and they have a roster that makes more sense and fits around Trae Young better,” Caudell wrote. “They also have proven veteran depth that they can count on, namely Bogdan Bogdanovic, De’Andre Hunter, Larry Nance and Clint Capela. I think a lot of the Hawks’ season is going to come down to the growth of younger players on their roster.”

  • For the record, I’m on board with all of this. Atlanta should be better this season than last, as I suggested in my appearance on Bleav in Hawks.

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1 COMMENT

  1. Gonna disagree, I think it’s gonna be a bad year for the Hawks. Their best talent is a defensive liability. And the drop off after Tre in offensive talent seems significant. And fit of players, I don’t think it’s clear.

    Silver lining is lots of opportunity for Larry Nance Jr. In the right spots he has a lot to contribute in the league, lets hope the Hawks can make the most of the opportunity.

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