While Jimmy Butler continues to rack up the big scoring totals every night, he’s still considered to be one of the top candidates for Defensive Player of the Year award. The reigning Most Improved Player is averaging 22.1 points per game, 4.8 rebounds per game, 4.0 assists per game, and nearly 2.0 steals per game this season. His strong numbers across the board has allowed the Bulls to obtain the second seed in the eastern conference in the first 33 games of the season. After signing his five-year $95 million deal, Butler has pushed his way into the NBA’s top 5 early MVP candidates of the season.
The trend in the NBA is beginning to shift in all areas of the game. While point guards are beginning to become more dominant in scoring than shooting guards, wing players are beginning to become more dominant in defensive schemes. Besides Michael Jordan, it seemed almost impossible for any position besides the center to win Defensive Player of the Year award, but Kawhi Leonard broke that trend twice. His first Finals MVP in 2014 was given because of his defensive efforts on Lebron James. Similarly, the NBA gave the nod to Andre Iguodala over Stephen Curry for the 2015 Finals MVP because of his defensive efforts on Lebron James as well. Kawhi Leonard once again help pioneered the wing position as a dominant defensive position as he won the 2015 Defensive Player of the Year award.
While that’s all good and done for the previous players, where does it leave Jimmy Butler? It’s no secret that Butler is widely known as an elite defender. The Chicago Bulls were prepared to offer Jimmy Butler a sizable deal just based on his defensive skills, but Butler opted out to bet on himself, and won. Butler currently holds the highest streak in the NBA for at least one steal in 41 consecutive games. The Bulls are ranked top 10 in defense in Fred Hoiberg’s scheme, which has a lot to do with Jimmy Butler taking on the opponent’s best players. Whether it’s Stephen Curry, Lebron James, or Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler will show up every night to help give his opponent a tough outing.
Jimmy Butler had a key stop on Lebron James in the season debut against the Cavaliers. Butler also blocked Paul George’s game tying attempt twice on two separate occasions this season.
