Chicago Bulls: Jimmy Butler
It’s strange how just a few years can totally change a team. Back in 2010-11, Derrick Rose was a young and incredibly explosive point guard prodigy. He was crowned as NBA MVP at just 22 years of age and was without doubt the fact of the Bulls franchise. Now, things have turned upside down in that sense. He’s still a talented player who contributes offensively, but too many injuries to count have taken away the player he once was.
A few years later, it was Joakim Noah. In 2013-14, he was a constant triple double threat, a second-time All-Star, the Defensive Player of the Year, and an All-NBA first team center. He could do so much and held the team together, yet that’s completely changed as well. He now plays off the bench to change the overall team frontcourt rotation and dynamic, and his minutes have dropped from 36.8 a night in his star 2013-14 season to just 21.5 right now.
Noah’s stardom has clearly fizzled out, and new All-Star Jimmy Butler has taken over as the Bulls’ MVP due to his remarkable improvement on offense and stellar defense. He’s always been a stellar defender and has been an All-Defensive second team player for the last two seasons, but in 2013-14 his offensive game was far less potent. He only averaged 13.1 points per game and shot below 40 percent from the floor, which doesn’t exactly say team MVP. However, last season, those numbers soared to 20 points per game while his field goal, three point and free throw percentages all shot up by at least seven percent.
Butler could do so much more with his athleticism and had more range than ever, and that’s just as true this season. He’s at 20.4 points a night, and has become the Bulls’ leading scorer and best perimeter defender, too. Gone are the days of Rose and Noah, as it’s Butler’s time as Chicago’s MVP.
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