Heat’s Butler Addresses Hopes For Increased Availability, ‘i Want To Play As Many Games As Possible’

MIAMI — A year ago, Jimmy Butler set the bar low. In that regard, he played six times as many games as forecast. Of course, that forecast also was offered sarcastically during 2023 training camp at Florida Atlantic University, when playfully prodded whether 10 games sounded about right. “That’s it,” he said at the time, “the number 10.” The number proved to be 60, which not only meant 22 absences for a combination of personal reasons and injury, but also a number that left him five appearances short of qualifying for postseason awards, under NBA guidelines that went into effect last season. That’s when the answer a year ago became more forthright. “I don’t care about no All-NBA team,” he said at the camp at FAU.