Jimmy Butler: Breakout Season In The Works

Photo Credit: Rocky Widner – Getty Images

There is a man that the people should be raving about in Chicago, and it isn’t Derrick Rose. Third-year guard Jimmy Butler is on his way.  The Chicago Bulls are off to a nice 8-4 start and currently sit at third place in the Eastern Conference despite having injury troubles surrounding the team.

Joakim Noah has missed a few, Rose has missed seven due to various injuries, and now center Pau Gasol has missed two straight with a calf injury.  Although it seems like the Bulls are going through struggles, a bright constant has been Jimmy Butler. The 6’7 guard was likely to miss the first 2-4 weeks of the season with a thumb injury, but only missed the first two games. That toughness has been seen in his play thux far.

Butler currently has All-Star like numbers and now have Chicago fans and NBA media seriously considering if he’s better than his predecessor, former All-Star Luol Deng. Even though their style of play is very similar, Butler currently is averaging 20.4 points, 3.5 assists, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game. Not to mention he has a Player Efficiency Rate (PER) of 21.74 and is shooting a very impressive 50 percent from the floor.

Deng, in his third year, also broke out for a big season, where he averaged 18.8 points, 2.5 assists, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game. He also shot 51 percent. If Butler keeps up his play, he will most likely match those numbers at the least. Although both Deng and Butler can defend multiple positions of the ball and can hustle like no other, the ability of Butler stretching the floor makes him a very valuable asset in the NBA where shooting is very important.

Butler now shoots 33.3 percent from three, a vast improvement where he shot only 28 percent last year. As his career move forwards it seems like he can become a respectable three point shooter. When you watch a Chicago game you can see Butler do it all. Spot up threes, off-ball cuts to the rim, rebound put-backs, pick and roll action to the rim, and mid-range pull ups (where he is currently shooting 52.8 percent from the 10-19 ft. range).

It can all be seen Thursday night where he had his way with Rudy Gay, finishing with 23 points in a loss to the Sacramento Kings. In a world where there isn’t too many great shooting guards, Butler has a great opportunity to shine if he keeps harnessing his game. His heart and determination is another thing you can’t question,

Jimmy Butler is tied for the lead with Reggie Jackson for most minutes per game at 40. Last year, Butler tied Carmelo Anthony for most minutes with 38.7 per game. Just recently the world’s best player, LeBron James, commented about how him, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love need to be playing less minutes per game; you can definitely see Butler’s value right now.

It is apparent that Butler can now hold his own and is one of the best two-way players in the game. A fully healthy roster with Gasol and Rose will make it even easier for Butler to play efficient basketball where he already has been without them. This Bulls team will definitely make noise in the playoffs, but the key player may not be who you think.  After missing the October 31st deadline for a contract extension with Chicago, Jimmy Butler will become a restricted free agent and, if he continues to play like this, he has a legitimate case for a max deal.