In February each year, the NBA’s hottest names descend on a city of the league’s choosing for that season’s All-Star Game. But come the 2022-23 edition, one name that wasn’t present was Jimmy Butler — the Heat’s enigmatic star was not picked as one of the top 12 players in the Eastern Conference.
Butler’s miss was a surprise to some, but he was in no way the biggest snub, with names like James Harden, Trae Young and Jalen Brunson all also falling short.
But since the All-Star break, Butler and the Heat have put together one of the most unlikely ends to a season in NBA history, culminating in their second Finals appearance in four years and becoming only the second eight-seed to make it this far ever.
Considering the way that Butler has closed this season, is his 2022-23 the greatest non-All-Star season in NBA history?
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Is Jimmy Butler having the best non-All-Star season ever?
Butler joins rare company
Despite not being voted as an NBA All-Star, Butler was still recognized as one of the league’s best forwards, being named to the All-NBA Second Team for the first time in his career, having made the All-NBA Third Team four times previously.
Jimmy Butler since joining the Heat 🔥
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 30, 2023
-First NBA Finals (2020) appearance since Bron era
-First No. 8 seed to reach NBA Finals since 1999
-First Play-In team to make Conf. Finals + NBA Finals
-Led Miami to third Conf. Finals in four seasons
-Headed to second NBA Finals in four… pic.twitter.com/YiOsg42GtL
The Heat were 29-23 at the time of the All-Star announcements, with Butler hitting averages of 22.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game. By the time the regular season closed, he had bumped those numbers up to 22.9/5.9/5.3, with the Heat finishing 44-38.
Butler joined a short list of players to make the All-NBA Second Team without being named an All-Star, an impressive feat in its own right, but even more so when you consider the way he was about to level up.
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Playoff Jimmy is real
Over the course of his career, Butler has built a reputation as a playoff riser, consistently showing up when it matters most, despite some teams deciding that he was not a high-enough caliber player to win with.
In his four years with the Heat, Butler has averaged 21.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.9 assists during the regular season, but these numbers jump to 25.0/6.9/5.6 per game during the playoffs.
He has also spearheaded the only two teams that have made an NBA Finals without being a top-four seed since 2000. The 2020 Heat being the No. 5 seed and this year's team being the No. 8 seed.
Jimmy Butler this playoffs:
— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 31, 2023
— 1st in clutch points
— 1st in steals
— 1st in iso points
Top __ player in the league. pic.twitter.com/zKOUxdza5h
Take away his disastrous first-round performance in 2020-21 against Milwaukee, and the numbers look even better.
But no Miami postseason has been as impressive for Butler as his current one, in which he is averaging 28.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game, including his highest and fourth-highest playoff scores ever; scoring 56 against the Bucks in Game 4, before backing that up with 42 points in Game 5 to send the number-one seed packing.
Most recently, he was awarded the Eastern Conference Finals MVP, after leading the Heat past Boston and into his second Finals with the team, with averages of 24.7/7.6/6.1.
It’s only the second year the NBA has awarded Conference Finals MVP, but Butler is so far the only player to win one while not being an All-Star.
Contenders for best non-All-Star season
Butler is certainly in the midst of a historic season, but there have been others that have had incredible runs despite missing the All-Star Game.
During the 1977-78 season, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wasn't named an All-Star after missing the first two months with a broken hand suffered when punching Milwaukee Buck Kent Benson. Abdul-Jabbar went on to average 25.8 points, 12.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, being named to the All-NBA Second Team, and All-Defensive Second Team.
MORE: Three reasons why the Heat will win the 2023 NBA Finals, including Jimmy Butler's playoff excellence
Rudy Gobert’s 2018-19 season is also in contention. The Frenchman didn’t make the trip to ASW but won his second DPOY, was named to the All-NBA Third Team and received an MVP vote.
Other names on the list include 1987-88 John Stockton (assist title and All-NBA Second Team) and 2000-01 Dirk Nowitzki (All-NBA Third Team, top 20 in points, rebounds and 3s), but none of these players were able to lift their team to the Finals the way Butler has.
Unfinished business
He’s got the All-NBA spot, he’s got the ECF MVP, but to cement this season as the best-ever non-All-Star campaign, Butler and the Heat may need to do the unthinkable — beat the Nuggets.
Why didn’t Jimmy Butler want to hold the Eastern Conference Finals trophy?
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) June 1, 2023
“I play for Mr. O’Brien… You can take the All-Stars… You can take the All-NBA. All defensive team, don’t care. I really only want to win a championship.” pic.twitter.com/wu6fOERIOW
If the Heat can claim a win — and assuming Butler gets the Finals MVP nod — it will have been an unprecedented run for any player, let alone one who was not present at All-Star Weekend.
Of course, the smart money says that Denver will run away with this series, but there has seemingly been little logic to this Miami run.