
Player To Watch: Jimmy Butler
Jimmy Butler is simply unstoppable at times. If the Bulls had gone ahead and dealt him at the NBA trade deadline, the team might not have won another game for the rest of the season.
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Butler is so good and the rest of the Bulls are so bad that I’m not even positive that’s hyperbole. Jimmy Buckets is averaging 23.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.9 steals per game this season while shooting 44.6 percent from the field and 33.9 percent from three-point territory.
Despite his team having another down season, Butler is averaging career-best marks in points, assists, rebounds and steals per game this season. Chicago’s on/off numbers really explain how crucial their star forward is to the team.
With Butler on the floor, Chicago outscores opposing teams by a margin of 1.8 points per 100 possessions. That’s not tremendous or anything, but it’s on the positive side of the line at least.
Without Butler on the floor, the Bulls get destroyed. Opposing teams outscore them by 9.3 points per 100 possessions when Jimmy is sitting. Imagine how hard it is for him to sit down on the bench and watch any sort of ground gained evaporate into thin air.
It will take a standout Jimmy Butler performance to get the Bulls the win, but even with one of those Chicago might not have enough auxiliary production to come out on top.