Who Can Flip The NBA's Eastern Conference Upside Down?
Jimmy Butler elevates his game to a level few can when the playoffs roll around. For most of the regular season, Butler is a top-25 player, but nowhere near the top-5 player he is in the playoffs. This season, there is a chance Playoff Jimmy is a season-long thing.
1. Jimmy Butler, SF, Miami Heat:
Butler is entering the last year of his contract with the Heat with a player option for the 2025-206 season. He wants a contract extension from the Heat that would allow him to spend the rest of his career with Miami, but they have not offered the deal.
Butler is 35 years old and is coming off a season in which he disappeared in games and missed large chunks due to injury. With Jimmy looking for his last major payday, he will want to prove he is still the same guy who has dominated the playoffs over the last five seasons.
In 2019, Butler's first year with the Heat, he led them to the finals as the fifth seed and outperformed LeBron James. In that 6-game series, he averaged 26 points, 8 rebounds, 10 assists a game, and a 40-point triple-double in a game three victory.
Jimmy and the Heat would lose the series as both Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic would suffer injuries in the first game, but Butler dominated. He led an injury-riddled team to 6 games vs. LeBron and Anthony Davis. Little did people know that was just the beginning of Butler's playoff dominance.
In 2020, the Heat were swept in the first round after a short off-season, but in 2022, they finished as the 1-seed and lost to the Celtics in a seven-game series in the Eastern Conference Finals. In the 2021-2022 playoffs, Butler averaged 27 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists a game.
He scored at least 40 points in four games during those playoffs, including 47,9 and 8 in a must-win game 6 in Boston. The Heat lost game 7 but would see Boston again in the Eastern Conference finals in 2023.
In 2022-2023, the Heat had a terrible regular season, finishing as the 8 seed after losing their first play-in game to the Hawks. Butler and the Heat squeaked into the playoffs after hardly beating the Bulls in the second play-in game. Miami matched up with the 1-seed Bucks in the first round and were expected to be swept, but they shocked the world and took down the Bucks in 5 games.
Not only did the Heat win the series, but Butler had the best series of his life, averaging 38 points a game with 6 rebounds and 5 assists. While those are outrageous numbers, his game 4 performance was even better, as he scored 56 points to help the Heat take a 3-1 lead on the Bucks.
The Heat were poised to make another run to the finals, and they did, but they would lose to the Nuggets in five games. Butler suffered an ankle injury in round 2 vs. the Knicks, which hampered him for the remainder of the playoffs and ultimately led to Miami's defeat.
Three of Butlers' five seasons in Miami have led to Eastern Conference finals appearances, with two leading to finals appearances. Since joining Miami, Butler has been one of the most dominant players in the playoffs.
Playoff Jimmy could be a season-long occurrence, with him wanting to show that he is still the same player this season. If the Heat get Playoff Jimmy for the regular season and the playoffs, they could make some real noise again.
2. Evan Mobley, C, Cleveland Cavaliers:
Since entering the league, Mobley has been an elite defender with the length and ability to switch onto the perimeter. While he has been great defensively, he has not taken the offensive jump many have been waiting for. During the playoffs, there was a glimmer of what Mobley could be on offense, and if he can reach that level more often, the Cavs would be even better.
The Cavs have been searching for another consistent scorer in addition to Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Mobley, who is the odds-on favorite to be that guy. Throughout his first three seasons, Mobley has had a season-high average of 16 points a game and a low of 15 points a game.
He has always been good offensively but has not taken that next step to be a dominant force. After averaging 21 points and 9 rebounds against the Celtics in the second round last year, it appears Mobely could finally make that jump.
Donovan Mitchell is one of the best scorers in the league, and Garland can get 20 points any night, but adding a big dominant stretch to the offense would be a game-changer for the Cavs. Mobley has shown the ability to space the floor but has not consistently been able to knock down threes.
If he takes the next step offensively, he could become respectable from beyond the arc, opening things up for the Cavs offense. With new head coach Kenny Atkinson, the Cavs hope they can unlock some stuff with Jarrett Allen and Mobely on offense, but Mobley's untapped potential could be a difference-maker for the Cavs.
Mobley anchors the Cavs' defense and has helped them finish as the fourth seed in back-to-back seasons, but an offensive jump could elevate the Cavs to a true contender. Mitchell and Garland are a great backcourt, Max Strus is a good shooter, Jarrett Allen is a strong defender with scoring upside, and Caris Levert is a nice sparkplug off the bench.
All of those pieces help the Cavs win many games, but Mobley has more upside than any of them. If he puts it all together this year, the Cavs could be a threat in the East with their size in Mobley and Allen and the speed of Garland and Mitchell.
3. Damian Lillard, PG, Milwaukee Bucks:
After surprising everyone by trading for Damian Lillard last season, the Bucks were viewed as a title contender, if not the favorite, to win the championship, but they were far from it. The Bucks lost in the first round to the 6-seed Pacers. Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo missed games with injuries, resulting in a significant let-down for a team with title aspirations.
There is a lot of concern surrounding the Bucks this off-season, between Kris Middleton's health, the team's age, the coaching situation, etc. While all concerns are valid, Giannis and Lillard should fit much better next season after having spent an entire off-season together, and with those two players, anything is possible.
Giannis is one of the best four players in the league, and Lillard had been a top 12 player for an extremely long time but had a down year by his standards last year. Dame averaged 24 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists a game on 42% shooting from the floor and 35% from three. Those are good numbers, but compared to his 32, 5, and 7 on 46% shooting from the floor and 37% shooting from three in 2022-2023, they are disappointing.
Lillard had always been the guy in Portland, leading to tough shot-making and endless double teams. With Giannis, the thought was everything would open up for Dame, allowing for a huge year. That didn't happen last year, as Dame had a long and tiring off-season, but entering this season, there is hope things click much better.
If he returns to his 2022-2023 form, the Bucks could have an elite offense. Lillard is the greatest shooter ever, not named Steph Curry, and Giannis is unstoppable in transition. Giannis will be great once again, but if Lillard returns to his elite form, the Bucks' ceiling is much higher than anticipated entering the season.
Everyone has been talking about the Knicks, 76ers, and Celtics as contenders all off-season long. Those teams should be good, but the Bucks have the best player in the East with Giannis and would have the best duo if Lillard returns to form. If those two are clicking this year, the East should be extremely worried about the Bucks.
End Of Rant
With the NBA season fast approaching, I hope you enjoyed my preview of the players who could cause the most chaos; Butler, Mobley, and Dame are all guys who are expected to bounce back big time.
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