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The Evolution of Jimmy Butler

By Michael Whitlow

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Known as one of the league’s best perimeter defenders during his first three seasons in the NBA, Chicago Bulls wing Jimmy Butler is emerging as of the league’s best options on the offensive end during his big contract year in his fourth season.

“It came down to me deciding that I want to bet on myself.”

That was the text message that Jimmy Butler sent to Yahoo Sports on October 31st, a few hours before the Bulls took their floor in their home opener against the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers.

Butler would sit out that overtime loss for the Bulls on Halloween night, but has yet to miss a game since a sprained thumb caused him to miss the first two games of this season.

Before the sprained thumb on his non-shooting hand caused Butler to miss the first two games of the regular season and the end of the Bulls’ preseason finale against the Charlotte Hornets.

After a 1-for-7 shooting start to the preseason in Chicago’s opener against the Washington Wizards, Butler caught fire by scoring 18+ points in the next four games, including 29 points on October 16th against the Atlanta Hawks.

The (now) infamous preseason game-winner that saw Comcast SportsNet Chicago’s color commentator Stacey King oddly — and hilariously — compare Butler to the game’s greatest player.

Along with his stellar preseason, Butler in 23 games for the Bulls — who are 15-8 in games when Butler has played — is averaging a career-high in minutes played, field goal attempts, makes, points, rebounds, assists, field goal percentage and every other stat imaginable.

Some of Butler’s advanced numbers have seen a nice increase in production since the start of this season, including a rise in his player efficiency rating (PER) and his true shooting percentage (TS%). Butler’s usage percentage (USG%) of 22 percent is the highest of his young career.

Where do Butler’s numbers ranks among the game’s best?

Here’s Jimmy Butler by the numbers (and ranks):

  • 39.9 minutes per game – 1st in the NBA
  • 162 free throws made out of 197 attempts – both rank 3rd in the NBA
  • 958 minutes played – tied for 3rd in the NBA
  • 21.9 points per game – 10th in the NBA (ahead of Klay Thompson, Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving and Kyle Lowry)
  • 39 steals – 14th in the NBA
  • 1.6 steals per game – 18th in the NBA
  • 22.2 PER – 18th in the NBA
  • .231 WS/48 – 7th in the NBA
  • 5.1 VORP – 9th in the NBA (right in front of Marc Gasol and John Wall)

Sure, 24 games is just a minor sample of what fans, experts and analysts have to draw from, but Butler has proven to be a go-to guy in all aspects of the game for the Bulls, while superstar point guard Derrick Rose continues to build momentum and shake off the rust of a treacherous two-season span of injuries.

"“Just thank God for Jimmy Butler. You can’t say enough about him,” Thibodeau said. “What he does, big shots, plays defense, gets to the line, makes plays, plays unselfishly, plays hard, doesn’t take any possessions off. Just having a phenomenal year.”-Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau on Jimmy Butler, CSNChicago.com"

You can break down Butler’s numbers stat-by-stat, but there’s something that isn’t measured by numbers: Confidence.

Butler’s confidence is through the roof and it has shown on numerous occasions.

Example?

When would you ever see Jimmy Butler take a shot like this one in the first three seasons of his career?

An off-balanced jumper from the free throw line that hits nothing but the bottom of the net?

“It came down to me deciding that I want to bet on myself.”

-Jimmy Butler

That’s a small example of who Butler is becoming: a tough-nosed, gritty player who is trusting his ability to score on a nightly basis.

Bulls fans would see this Jimmy Butler every now and again in the past and think to themselves, “Yes, Jimmy! More of that!”

Well, Butler’s doing on a nightly basis now and his evolving offensive game is making him a ton of hard-earned cash in the process.

Next: Bulls Game No. 25: Jimmy Butler's career night boosts Bulls over Knicks

It’s clear that the Bulls made a mistake by trying to force-feed Butler a “hometown discount” before the rookie contract deadline on Halloween.

But, in a way, not paying Butler a nice extension in the ballpark of Golden State Warriors sharpshooter Klay Thompson, is oddly paying off for the Bulls.

The “snub” from the Bulls brass has seemingly motivated the fourth-year wing from Marquette into All-Star Game selection talks and Most Improved Player talks through the first quarter of the season.

Will his dramatic improvement carry over the entirety of an 82-game season? That’s still up in the air, but you see what happens when you doubt Jimmy Butler.

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