The Chicago Bulls playing more confident without Jimmy Butler
The Chicago Bulls’ play on the court over the past two games without Jimmy Butler shows they’re playing with more confidence without him.
Jimmy Butler played in all but four games for the Chicago Bulls this season. The team is just 1-3 without him, but that record doesn’t tell the entire story.
Sure, the record is not something the Bulls should feel proud of. Regardless of that, over the past two games with Butler sidelined, we’ve seen a different Bulls team. We’ve seen a “Butlerless” team go on the road against two west-coast teams and play their hearts out.
Unfortunately, playing their hearts out night after night has been an issue all season long with the Bulls. They lack passion, energy, and compassion at times for one another when things go south. Star players like Butler choose to play the “blame game” often, calling out younger teammates for not stepping up late in big games.
Well, as we all know, actions speak louder than words. Everyone agrees that Butler is the Bulls’ best player. But with him on the court, the ball is mostly in his hands. There isn’t a ton of scoring opportunities for the younger players around him. The younger players defer to Butler to make scoring opportunities.
Doing this on a nightly basis isn’t uncommon for any NBA team. Ask Cleveland. The ball is mostly in LeBron James‘ hands. Teams often lean on their star players to be the focal point of their offenses. Nothing wrong with doing that, unless you are the Chicago Bulls.
For teams to be successful in the long-run, every player needs to buy into his coach’s system. More importantly, though, players need to have trust in one another to make big plays. It’s clear that when Butler is on the court, he doesn’t trust his younger teammates. He doesn’t feel confident that they can help elevate his team to greater heights. That is what happens to players when they become all-stars. They often think too highly of themselves, while thinking less highly of others.
Butler’s lack of confidence in his teammates has clearly affected the Bulls’ play on the court this season. Players like Doug McDermott and Paul Zipser feel too uncomfortable at the end of games to shoot 3-pointers.
Star players like Butler need to instill belief into the rest of the Bulls’ roster; belief that each member can contribute to the team’s overall success. Whether things are going great or not, this belief in one another should never waver. Otherwise, you have a mediocre team barely fighting for the last remaining playoff spot.
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For the Bulls’ organization, Jimmy Butler’s absence in the last two games may be beneficial in the long-run. The team is on a long, grueling road trip, yet they’ve held their own. Against the Rockets, one of the best teams in the Western Conference, they took a loss, but their effort without Butler was a sight to behold. The Bulls battled back from being down double digits in the third quarter. They showed toughness and resiliency to not mail it in when down and counted out without their all-star.
On Monday night, the Bulls traveled to Sacramento to play the Kings. While the outcome was a positive 112-107 win for the “Butlerless” Bulls, the team once again played their hearts out. The younger players really stepped up during the past two games, playing with much more confidence.
Michael Carter-Williams, a young guard who at times has rarely played in games this season for the Bulls, is playing now with extreme confidence. Because of Butler’s injury, Williams is now starting in his place, averaging 22 points-per-game since. Yes, it’s a small sample size, but Williams was becoming an afterthought on the bench as recently as three games ago.
Other young players such as guard Jerian Grant are beginning to play more consistent as well as extended minutes thanks to Butler’s recent absence. The Bulls proved over the past two games that without Butler that they can score more points than their season’s 102.6 points per game average.
This is a great sign that the Bulls are beginning to play with more confidence than they have all season long. When they’re being counted out thanks to not having their star player, they’re still putting up a hard fight. Whether they win or lose, the effort has been there throughout this brief two-game stretch. Players understand they have to do more to make up for Butler’s absence.
Can younger players like Michael Carter-Williams play with the same confidence once Butler returns from his heel injury? The team won two straight prior to Butler getting injured. But those two wins came thanks to the Bulls relying more on Butler and Wade to carry the team, instead of relying on younger players like Williams. We all know how inconsistent they’ve been throughout the season when relying more on that method.
Only time will tell if the younger players will continue to play well when Butler returns. But if the Bulls want to stay competitive over the long haul, observing how the young Bulls performed over the past two games is a start. Butler, in particular, should take notes.
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Calling out your young teammates for their poor play is one thing — trusting them is another. The Chicago Bulls need less of the former and more of the latter from Butler.