Are Jimmy Butler’s Minutes Sustainable?

Dec 25, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat forward Luol Deng (9) controls the ball against Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) during the first half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The rigors of playing so many minutes each and every night may have also directly contributed to a litany of injuries that Luol Deng sustained throughout his career in Chicago. We don’t hear a ton about these injuries, because Deng consistently proved himself a warrior by insisting on playing through ailments that would have sidelined many others.

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There are other players during the course of NBA history that have played 40+ minutes on average during the regular season and still managed to excel during the postseason. However, for comparison purposes, Luol Deng’s experience playing for Tom Thibodeau remains the most logical as the two players in question have experienced remarkably similar career trajectories.

Both play the same position and fulfilled the same role during their time with Chicago. They both received the Tom Thibodeau treatment where the expectation is that the player’s go 100% in practices and games alike. The lesson from this brief comparison is this: the Chicago Bulls have to be careful with Jimmy Butler.

As of right now, his future with the Chicago Bulls remains in question. If the Bulls want to re-sign him after the season to a long term extension they have to take into consideration whether their new star can sustain this level of production while remaining relatively healthy.

Given the history of Luol Deng during his time in Chicago under Thibodeau, the aforementioned question remains up in the air. It is in the Bull’s best interest to back-off the minutes that they make Butler play each night.