Nobody had high expectations for Jimmy Butler going into last season, nobody except Jimmy of course. While fans knew Butler would be good, nobody saw the extreme progression that took place last year. Jimmy Butler stunned the NBA and claimed the Most Improved Player award as he averaged 20.1 points per game helping the Bulls to a 50 win season.
Jimmy Butler won’t “wow” you with his offensive numbers. He won’t pull down ridiculous triple-doubles like Russell Westbrook or fill up every category like Lebron James. Butler won’t lead the list in Sport Center highlights with his high flying dunks or record breaking points in a single game. However, he will give you 110% effort every single night as he leads the NBA in minutes and not complain. Butler will willingly guard the toughest opponent and still feel the need to come on the other end of the court and score the ball himself. He’s a guy you want on your team, a guy who does the dirty work and loves every second of it.
Jimmy Butler’s emergence helped him receive an Allstar spot last season; not many people saw that coming. However, going into the upcoming season will be another challenged for Butler. Last season, Butler had an underdog mentality going into the regular season trying to prove to the front office that he’s worth near max money. This season, he’ll have a target on his back as teams will scout for him ever single game.
It’s not hard to become a star, it’s hard to sustain that title. Teams begin to learn your tendencies and craft a perfectly strategized game plan against your particular style. In order to maintain the star title, Jimmy Butler must learn to adjust his game on the fly as teams throw different looks at him. Butler showed his ability to adjust his game in flashes last postseason as his averages increased to 23.0 points per game.
Butler made the leap from 13.1 points per game to 20.1 points per game in one season, can he make another big leap again?
The free flowing offense of Fred Hoiberg will help the Bulls score more points this season. Naturally, that means Jimmy Butler will be scoring more himself, right? Not exactly. As Fred Hoiberg will help the Bulls score more points, he’ll also do a better job of managing Jimmy Butler’s minutes per game. Last season, Butler averaged 38.7 minutes per game, James Harden came in second at only 36.5 minutes per game.
Jimmy Butler should be able to score more points in an efficient manner since the offense will be a complete turnaround from last season. However, Butler isn’t expected to turn into Iron Man again and shatter the NBA record for minutes played by a player. It’s fair to assume his averages will remain roughly the same, except Butler will be scoring at a much higher efficiency rate which helps him save his energy for the defensive end.
