[ad_1]
Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler established himself as one of the top 20 players in the league on Wednesday when he was selected as the All-NBA third team.
It was the third time Butler had earned the honor in his career. He was joined in the Third Team by Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, Philadelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons (61) and Houston Rockets point guard Russell Westbrook.
Butler, in his first year with the Heat after being traded from the Philadelphia 76ers last July, averaged 19.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists. He was selected to the All-Star Game and led the Heat to the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Behind Butler, the Heat now have a 1-0 lead against the Boston Celtics in the conference finals. Game 2 is Thursday at 7 pm in Orlando. Butler, who also played for the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves, is trying to lead the franchise to its sixth appearance in the NBA Finals.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James and Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis
Antetokounmpo were unanimous First Team selections. They were joined by Lakers forward Anthony Davis, Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, and Houston Rockets guard James Harden.
The second team featured Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić, Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (284), Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul and Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam.
FACEBOOK: Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MiamiHeatSI
TWITTER: @ShandelRich
Youtube: Subscribe at https://www.youtube.com/c/ShandelRichardson2876/featured
For any questions about the Heat or the NBA, please email [email protected]
[ad_2]
