Chicago Bulls Season In Review: Jimmy Butler
2016–2017 Salary: $17,552,209 | Age: 27 | Season Stats: 23.9 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 5.5 APG
Season Recap:
I often wonder when exactly it will be that Jimmy Butler gets the respect he deserves, amongst fans and pundits alike. Sure, most people consider him to be in the upper tier of two-way wing players, alongside excellent players like Paul George and Gordon Hayward. But make no mistake. This season, Jimmy was a cut above the rest in almost every facet. For his efforts, Butler earned his third consecutive All-Star berth as well as a spot on the All-NBA Third Team. A couple of weeks ago, Jordan Schultz reported that three NBA front office guys thought that Jimmy was the biggest surprise of the All-NBA Team selections, supposedly agreeing that he’s “not a top 15 guy”. This is misguided. Jimmy Butler was arguably a top 10 player this season.
For the third straight year, Butler took massive strides in his game where people insisted he had reached his ceiling as a player. Even with a 26.5 usage percentage and a roster not at all complimentary towards his skills, he set career high marks in points per game, assists per game, true shooting percentage, assist percentage, and win shares. He elevated his scoring efficiency by making it to the free throw line 8.7 times per game. He was seventh in the NBA in Real Plus/Minus, his 6.63 rating higher than MVP candidates James Harden and Russell Westbrook and only eclipsed by elite players like LeBron James and Stephen Curry. Butler essentially functioned as a miniature LeBron for the Bulls, scoring and playmaking on a level high above the rest of his teammates. Despite the enormous hype of the “Three Alphas” trio, Jimmy was far and away the Bulls’ best player this season. It wasn’t even close.
Season Highlight:
In a season full of highs, it’s hard to pinpoint just one game, but it’s hard to go wrong with his 52 point, 12 rebound, six assist performance against the Hornets on Jan. 2. Making 15-of-24 field goals and 21-of-22 free throws, Jimmy simply took over, scoring 17 points in the final four minutes of the contest as he lead the Bulls to victory. Of course, there was also the nine-game stretch after Dwyane Wade’s presumed season ending elbow injury in which Jimmy averaged 28.1 points per game, 8.1 assists per game and 6.0 rebounds per game on 54 percent shooting, vaulting the left-for-dead Bulls back into playoff contention. Yeah, that was cool too.
Season Lowlight:
It feels wrong to criticize the guy that carried the Bulls so hard every night, but there was one fairly uncool moment of Jimmy’s stellar season. After calling out his teammates’ effort alongside Dwyane Wade following a loss to the Atlanta Hawks (in which Jimmy scored 40 points), Jimmy found himself coming off the bench in the next game against the Heat. He scored just three points on 1-of-13 shooting from the field. Yikes. Still, these types of performances are extreme outliers for Jimmy and should do little to diminish his status as an elite player in the NBA.
Looking Ahead:
No one can seem to get a good handle on Jimmy’s future with the Bulls. He’s a fantastic player, but the Bulls consistent refusal to build around him indicates that the Bulls do not regard him as highly as fans do. Jimmy trade rumors may as well have been written on the ancient slabs of history at this point, as speculation will no doubt continue well into the weeks approaching the NBA draft. It’s not as likely anymore, considering his most likely suitor in the Celtics have the first overall pick, but never say never. Jimmy is good enough to be traded for a pick like that, and the Bulls would be foolish to accept anything less. Still, look for Jimmy to stay put and for the Bulls to run back more of the same team next year. Yaaaaaay.
Sign-up for our Newsletter! Bulls Confidential in your inbox every Friday!!
