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Will Jimmy Butler Compete in Rio for Team USA in 2016?

By Jeremy Karll

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What a difference a year makes.

If a year ago you told me that the player that would represent the Bulls at Team USA’s training camp would be Jimmy Butler, I would have called you crazy. We all know what happened in just a course of a year.

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Butler gambled on himself by declining a $44 million contract from the Bulls and ended up having a career year in which he set career highs across the board, averaging 20 points a game. The first winner of the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award was also named to his first All-Star Game last season.

After the season concluded, Butler signed a five-year max deal with the Chicago Bulls and now is on his way to Team USA’s training camp. It’s great to see someone who works as hard as Jimmy Butler does get rewarded, but will he be playing in Rio in 2016 for Team USA?

I’m excited to see how Butler’s game compares to other stars in the league. He’s one of the best two-way players in the league and should be able to showcase that this for the coaches. Former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau knows how hard Butler plays and how hard you can push him, pretty far considering he’s averaged 38.7 minutes a game the past two seasons. On a team with some of the best players on the planet, Butler should still be considered one of the best defensive players there, especially when guarding players on the wing.

ALSO ON PIPPEN AIN’T EASY: Can Jimmy Butler make Team USA’s 2016 Olympic roster?

To go along with great defense, his improved offense will give him his best shot of making the team. Bulls fans were all frustrated with his jump shot through the first three years of his career, but last year was a completely different story. Butler shot 46.2 percent from the field, 37.8 percent from three and 83.4 percent from the line. He’s also tough enough to make a cut down low and score around the basket, while also being a threat to putting it on the ground and driving to the basket.

Jimmy’s versatility on both offense and defense should speak loud to the coaches, but there are so many great wing players invited, I think it’s going to be hard for him to make the roster. LeBron James and Kevin Durant are locks to make the team and most people are expecting Kawhi Leonard, someone who plays very similar to Butler, to also make the team. That leaves one, maybe two, more wing spots open. Butler will be competing with stars such as Paul George, Klay Thompson, Gordon Hayward, Rudy Gay, Draymond Green, Chandler Parsons and Tobias Harris.

George is coming off a gruesome injury that most people are trying to forget. However, if George is healthy and anywhere near how good he was before the injury, then there’s a very good chance he makes the team. He was one of the best players and was widely considered the third-best small forward in league when healthy. He can shoot from anywhere on the floor and is a pest on defense. George is also one of the most athletic players in the league. The biggest question is what his game will look like coming back from the injury he suffered during last year’s training camp scrimmage.

Golden State’s Draymond Green and Klay Thompson are the two other wing players that may take Butler’s spot. Thompson is one of the best shooters in the league, shooting 43.9 percent from behind the arc last season, and is also a good defender. He brings a lot to the table and is considered the favorite to take the last wing spot.

Green and Jimmy Butler are both very similar players. If it was up to Thibodeau, Green would’ve been a Bull. He is one of the best defensive players in the league and can score in multiple ways. I think his offensive game, especially his jump shot, needs to improve for him to make the team, but Team USA coaches will have an eye out for him. His defense is the main reason he got invited to the training camp.

But, when you have some of the best defensive players in the world on your team you aren’t looking that hard for defensive specialists.

The official 12-man roster won’t be announced until closer to the Olympics, so Butler will have all year to try to impress Mike Krzyzewski and the rest of the coaching staff. In the end, I don’t think Butler will be competing for Team USA in 2016. It may not be the worst thing if he didn’t make the team if the Bulls are coming off a long playoff run. He is one of the centerpieces on the Bulls roster and while it may be and honor and fun to watch Butler in the Olympics, his focus should be on the bringing a championship back to Chicago.

But you just never know. No one expected Butler to be in this position last year, so maybe this next year will be another surprise for us Bulls fans.

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