NBA Player Rankings: Top 10 small forwards for 2016-17
By Tom West
5th place – Jimmy Butler
Yes, Jimmy Butler played shooting guard last season and that’s where he’s spent 62 percent of his career minutes so far (37 percent at small forward). It’s the position he’s been named an All-Star as for the last two seasons. However, with the Chicago Bulls acquiring future Hall of Fame shooting guard Dwyane Wade this summer, Butler will be shifting to small forward.
Which, as these rankings are for 2016-17 rather than last season, is why Butler is making an appearance.
And he deserves a high appearance at that.
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In each of the last three seasons, Butler has made the All-Defensive Second Team. He’s made a name for himself as one of the top wing defenders in the game, racking up steals (1.6 per game in 2015-16) and guarding several positions with intensity to lead the Bulls’ defense. That’s always been the trademark of his game, but he’s become more than that recently.
The summer of 2014 was a turning point for Butler. After averaging 13.1 points per game in 2013-14, his offensive production skyrocketed in 2014-15, scoring 20 points a night and making a career-high 37.8 percent of his threes. His range increased, his ball handling and driving ability improved, and he was more aggressive as someone who could take charge of the offense.
Unfortunately for the Bulls, his three-point percentage fell to 31.2 last season with only one make per game, becoming a feature in the NBA’s worst shooting lineup for 2016-17. Alongside Rajon Rondo, Wade, possibly Taj Gibson and Robin Lopez, Chicago’s lack of perimeter threat is going to be ugly and extremely troublesome.
If one man can make things a little easier to watch for Bulls fans, it will be Jimmy Butler.
He averaged a career-high 20.9 points per game last season and shot 45.4 percent, benefiting from strong finishing inside (67.3 percent within two feet), frequent trips to the charity stripe (7.1 free throw attempts per game) and some streaky mid-range shooting.
Butler made serious improvements as a playmaker as well, averaging a career-high of 4.8 assists (a major leap from 3.3 the previous season) and showed his ability to run the show more often, allow teammates to move off the ball, and drive and kick. An average of 7.9 assists per game in the final seven contests of last season showed Butler at his best.
If he can find more consistency from range, a two-way, playmaking Butler will continue to assert himself in the NBA’s top handful of wing players.
Sadly for his sanity, though, he’ll be stuck on the worst shooting team in the game.
Next: 4th place - The incredible comeback star