Jimmy Butler’s Workload Has Officially Become Too Heavy

It’s clear that Jimmy Butler hasn’t looked right since the knee injury that forced him to miss a month of the action. So, why is he still playing a heavy amount of minutes?

Jimmy Butler was picked as an All-Star reserve for this year’s All-Star Game in Toronto and there could have been a legitimate argument that he should have started the game.

Butler was averaging 22.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, until Butler tweaked his knee on Feb. 1 in a loss to the Utah Jazz. He would miss the next game two days later — his first of the season — then returned on Feb. 5 against the Denver Nuggets.

And ever since being carted away late in the first half against the Nuggets after an awkward drive, Butler hasn’t been the same.

Aside from a March 5 return against the Houston Rockets where Butler looked like his old self, he really hasn’t been himself. Butler missed three games after returning against the Rockets, then returned again and hasn’t missed any time in the last six games.

The Athletic Chicago’s Stephen Noh made the point on Butler, too:

"Butler is too valuable to risk long-term injury, and he’s exhibiting warning signs that something is wrong again. He’s proven that he will not monitor his own health, so the Bulls have to step in set some more stringent restrictions."

Since returning from the knee injury, Butler has played seven of 10 possible games and he’s played 33.2 minutes per contest. There’s an issue with that, right? This was supposed to be monitored closer than it was during the Tom Thibodeau era, correct?

Noh again made another point on Butler’s health (referencing his minutes in the win over the Rockets).

This response was made after Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg said this after Wednesday night’s loss to the New York Knicks where Butler played over 35 minutes.

This is true. Hoiberg does have to look to get his best player going if the Bulls do care to make the postseason.

But, here’s the thing: Butler has to do everything for this team. That’s not an exaggeration. He’s basically a backup point guard (especially now with E’Twaun Moore out of action), the team’s best defender and a primary offensive option next to Derrick Rose and Pau Gasol.

There’s 12 games left in the season and the Bulls are on the outside looking in. There’s not a lot of time to figure this out, but playing your franchise’s centerpiece over 33 minutes a night when he’s clearly not right is an issue.

Personally, there’s something wrong with Butler. There has to be. He looks absolutely awful right now and that’s no slight at him. It’s just the truth and Butler himself would admit that.

Seriously, when’s the last time you’ve seen Jimmy Butler do this?

The Bulls need Butler to not only compete in the postseason, they need him just to make the postseason, which they’re currently not in at the moment after Wednesday’s loss to the Knicks.

Next: Fred Hoiberg's Comments on Derrick Rose

But more importantly, Butler is the future of the Bulls. That’s why he got the big bucks this past summer. It’s about time the Bulls and Butler himself, figure that out before something drastic happens.