Whether Jimmy Butler was, by definition, the most improved player from the 2013-14 season to the 2014-15 campaign is a trivial matter.
What is clear in watching Butler blossom over the last four years is that any award recognizing improvement is an honor fit for Jimmy Buckets.
| Season | Games Started | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-12 | 0/42 | 8.5 | 2.6 | 1.3 | 0.3 |
| 2012-13 | 20/82 | 26.0 | 8.6 | 4.0 | 1.4 |
| 2013-14 | 67/67 | 38.7 | 13.1 | 4.9 | 2.6 |
| 2014-15 | 65/65 | 38.7 | 20.0 | 5.8 | 3.3 |
Butler wasn't exactly a highly touted NBA prospect after three seasons at Marquette, and not much was made of the fact the Chicago Bulls, coming off a 62-win season and already featuring the youngest MVP in league history, had Butler fall in their lap with the final pick of the first round in the 2011 draft.
A Meteoric Rise
A player who logged less than 360 total minutes as a 22-year-old rookie eventually turning into a dependable rotation would be a good story in itself. Emerging as an All-Star and the best overall player on a 50-win team within three years is incomprehensible in the Association.
Yet that's exactly who Butler's become at only 25.
Among over 900 former collegiate and international players in the Sports Aptitude database, only 26 have an Internal Motivation rating to match Butler's. This is the upper 97th percentile of basketball players in a measure that relates to self-discipline, goal-motivation and the drive to exceed expectations.
- From Butler's Draft Express page, by Eric Weiss & Kevin O'Connor
Butler began to show signs of life in his sophomore season, when he became part of Tom Thibodeau's regular Derrick Rose-less rotation off the bench, but his transition from reserve to heavy-minutes starter was met with adversity.
While he was selected as an All-Defensive 2nd Team member last year, Butler's shooting and efficiency tailed off in his third season as he accepted the responsibility of a starting role and more than 38 minutes per game guarding the opposing team's best offensive talent.
No one doubted his elite defensive ability, but it seemed doubtful that Butler could be the type of player that dominates on both sides of the ball.
Then came his offensive explosion, as Butler accomplished the rare feat this season of becoming a more efficient scorer despite a significant increase in his usage.
| Season | Usage% | FGA/100 poss. | PPG | TS% | ORtg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | 21.6 | 18.8 | 20.0 | 58.3 | 122 |
| 2013-14 | 16.8 | 14.2 | 13.1 | 52.2 | 108 |
Butler not only broke out as a reliable offensive option, he emerged as one of the game's best all-around scorers. He was one of 15 qualified players to average at least 20 points per game, and he filled the bucket from virtually everywhere.
Elite Company
Butler's uncanny ability to draw fouls only complements his matured offensive game, as he and James Harden were the lone non-bigs to draw free throws on over 50 percent of their field-goal attempts this season.
That complete package helped Butler join Dirk Nowitzki, Chris Paul, Kevin Martin, LeBron James, Kevin Love, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry as the only active players to average at least 20 points per game and produce at least 1.2 points per individual offensive possession in a season despite a Usage Rate higher than 21 percent and at least one 3-point attempt per game.
Butler's defensive effort seemed to wane as his focus shifted towards the offensive end - something he took responsibility for throughout the year - but he remains one of the game's best perimeter defenders and certainly one of its premier two-way stars.
Thibodeau wasn't just paying lip service at Thursday's Most Improved Player ceremony when he said the Bulls wouldn't be where they are without Butler.
With Rose once again in and out of the lineup and Joakim Noah seemingly hobbled all season, it was Butler (and newly acquired Pau Gasol) who carried Chicago through the regular season and kept their championship window open, his own injury absences notwithstanding.
How sustainable Butler's current level of offensive production is going forward is a legitimate concern (40-28-77 shooting split last season), as is his durability after missing 32 games over the last two seasons while Thibodeau ran him into the ground.
But that won't keep the pending restricted free agent from landing a max-level contract this summer - not bad for a 30th pick who averaged less than nine minutes and three points as a forgotten rookie only three years ago.
Butler may not be comfortable with a superstar distinction just yet, but he can't deny his place as the NBA's prime example of professional improvement.
