Jimmy Butler has perhaps the saddest story of not only the 2011 draft, but of most NBA players today. Abandoned as a baby by his father, and then by his mother at the age of 13, Butler never really had a home of his own growing up. Prior to his senior year in high school, he made friends with Jordan Leslie, a basketball player at Tomball High School. It wasn't long after that Jordan's family had taken Butler into their home, along with their six other children.In his senior year at Tomball High, Butler averaged 19 ppg and 9 rpg as well as being voted the teams MVP. However, he didn't attract much attention for college, choosing to attend Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas. After his freshman year, Butler moved to Marquette University averaging 5.6 ppg and 3.9 rpg before moving into the starting lineup in the 2009-10 season where his averages increased to 14.7 ppg and 6.4 rpg.
Butler was drafted in the 2011 NBA Draft, selected 30th in the first round by the Chicago Bulls. In the 2012 NBA Summer League, Butler averaged 20.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg and 2 apg.
In his rookie season as a bull, Butler didn't get a lot of playing time, playing only 42 games averaging 8.5 mpg and a low 2.6 ppg. However I kept a close eye on Jimmy whenever I got the chance and was always impressed with not only his constant hustle but the confidence that seemed to radiate from him. Sure, his numbers weren't very impressive but Butler always did what he needed to do to help the very successful Chicago Bulls stay on top.
In the off season, Chicago's bench underwent a lot of changes, leaving a huge hole in the team itself, especially with the absence of Derrick Rose. If Chicago is going to have success, not only do they need Rose back into the starting lineup, they need a bench as powerful and reliable as the previous season's. Recently the team has started to step up and I believe it is because they are getting some positive production from the bench. Taj Gibson has certainly stepped up and really come into his own as player this season, providing a great (if not better) big guy coming into the game to replace Carlos Boozer (who is also having a stellar season). Marco Belinelli continues to grow in confidence every game he plays, putting up points whenever the Bulls need. The position of PG off the bench is well looked after with Kirk Hinrich, Nate Robinson and Marquis Teague (who is a very underrated player).
In my opinion though, the best player on the Chicago bench is Jimmy Butler. And, as he proved last night against the Grizzlies, Jimmy Buckets (as Stacey King calls him) can do whatever needs to be done to help the Bulls. After a shaky start on offence (1-8 for the first 3 quarters) Butler relaxed and started putting the ball in the basket, when it seemed no one else on the team could (much like the night before in OT against Boston, Jimmy provided 3 important baskets in a row). Butler also showed great confidence shooting 8-8 from the free throw line. Not only was offence vital, but his defense was excellent, effectively shutting down Rudy Gay and coming up with a couple of huge steals in the final minutes. 48 minutes, 18 points and 8 boards was a great effort from Jimmy, filling in for the injured Luol Deng. Whilst I hope to see Luol back ASAP, I am certainly not opposed to seeing Jimmy get as much playing time as he can. He is only going to continue to improve and will one day, in the not to distant future, be a fantastic starter, if not for the Bulls then any team in the NBA.
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