Jimmy Butler finishes strong alley-oop in traffic vs. Cavs (Video)

Jimmy Butler threw it down on an alley-oop through two Cavaliers defenders

There has been a lot of talk coming into the 2015-16 NBA season centered around the Chicago Bulls and whether or not the team belongs to point guard Derrick Rose or his backcourt mate in Jimmy Butler. In the season-opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Butler made a strong statement that he was ready to roll no matter whose team it is.

Early in the first quarter against the Cavs, Butler fed the ball to Nikola Mirotic on the right side of the top of the key. That’s when Butler made a strong cut on the opposite side of the floor for the rim. The weak side defense on the play was solid, but that didn’t matter after a beautifully placed lob from Mirotic and a strong attack and finish from Butler:

If Butler is coming at the rim like that, there aren’t many players in the league that are going to be able to do a thing about it, especially with the ball put in a spot where only he’s going to be able to get his hands on it.

There are a number of unknowns about the Bulls heading into this season, largely dealing with their rotation and the system under new head coach Fred Hoiberg. I think this play makes us all pretty certain of one thing, though; Jimmy Butler’s still pretty good at basketball.