"One of the smartest ones out of those guys": Udonis Haslem says Jimmy Butler may be his highest-IQ former teammate over LeBron James and Dwyane Wade

Miami Heat superstar forward Jimmy Butler has garnered a reputation for being one of the most competitive, cold-blooded players in the league. However, according to Butler’s former teammate, Udonis Haslem, Butler is also one of the smartest.

During a recent interview with Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks, Haslem first spoke about how skilled Butler is due to his ability to make tough shots:

“The shots that Jimmy Butler makes are not normal, and if someone keeps making them, then you start believing it’s not luck anymore. … So, I’ve seen Jimmy make shots on me that people don’t make, and he keeps making them. The degree of difficulty on the shots that he is making, how he is creating space to get to these shots, that is something different.”

Haslem then touched on some of the other NBA greats that he played with over his 20-year career, including Dwyane Wade and LeBron James. According to Haslem, Jimmy stood out, not because he was the best player, but because he may have been the smartest:

“I’ve played 1-on-1 with Dwyane. I’ve played 1-on-1 with LeBron. I’ve played 1-on-1 with Joe Johnson and some of the greatest iso 1-on-1 players in the league. Now, I’ve played 1-on-1 with Jimmy, so I’ve seen the difference. Now, that’s not to say that Jimmy is better than those guys, but Jimmy damn sure might be one of the smartest ones out of those guys. Jimmy is smart as hell.”

Udonis Haslem on what makes Jimmy Butler such a high-IQ player

Former Miami Heat teammates Udonis Haslem and Jimmy Butler

Later in the interview, Udonis Haslem spoke about what makes Jimmy Butler such a high-IQ player. According to Haslem, Butler excels at finding ways to break down defenses and get to his spots on the court:

“He understands how to get his shot off. He understands how to get you to switch your pivot feet, so he can attack one leg, so he can counter you. He understands how to get to the free-throw line.”

Haslem added that there are so many things to consider when guarding Butler. However, if a player overthinks their coverages, then Butler can also just knock down jumpers. So, according to Haslem, all of this makes the Heat superstar incredibly difficult to stop:

“Now, mind you, you’re thinking about all this stuff as you’re guarding Jimmy, and then he’ll shoot it in your face because you’ve got your hands down. So, there’s just so much that comes into play when you have to guard Jimmy Butler, especially for 48 minutes.”

Last season, Butler averaged 22.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.8 steals per game on 53.9% shooting over 64 games.

He then took his game to another level in the playoffs as he led the eighth-seeded Heat on a surprise 2023 NBA Finals run. Butler averaged 26.9 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 5.9 apg and 1.8 spg on 46.8% shooting over 22 playoff games.