Butler buoyed by new-look Bulls
While his focus is on a maiden Olympic appearance next month in Rio, Jimmy Butler can't help but be excited about the Chicago Bulls' offseason makeover.
Now under the spotlight in the Windy City after the departures of former MVP Derrick Rose, Pau Gasol, and Joakim Noah, Butler is delighted for the chance to suit up with a duo of decorated NBA stars.
"D-Wade’s here; I’m excited," Butler told the team's official website during U.S. practice at the United Center on Thursday.
Preparing for the quadrennial games on the court he's called home for five seasons, Butler appears elated to play alongside local legend Dwyane Wade.
"It’s a new start for a lot of us," opined Butler. "There are multiple ways to score the basketball. I don’t get into analytics and the numbers. I think D-Wade has put the ball in the basket for a lot of years. He’s a great player because of the way he scores the ball."
Wade, 34, isn't the only new face in Chicago's backcourt, and if the former Miami Heat all-star is proficient at making buckets, Rajon Rondo is similarly adept at passing the rock.
"Rondo, call him what you want, but he’s effective at what he does. Same thing with myself. You can say you have to be able to knock down the open shot, but I think we’ll find ways."
While 3-point happy teams the likes of the Golden State Warriors are all the rage, competence from behind the arc doesn't necessarily reflect in the win column. Butler and Co. will be hoping that's the case this season as the Bulls look to bounce back from missing the playoffs last year.
Believe it or not, shot-shy Rondo is the standard from distance among the trio of Bulls. The University of Kentucky product shot 36 percent from deep, while Butler made fewer than a third of his attempts, and Wade went 7 of 44 from beyond the arc last season.
Far from the next incarnation of the Splash Brothers, Butler doesn't care as much about where the shots come from, just so long as they go in.
"As long as I put the ball in the basket, I don’t think it matters whether it’s from outside or in the paint," said Butler. "Shooting threes or not … as long as I’m productive and efficient."