Jan 5, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (21) defends against Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) during the game at United Center. The Chicago Bulls beat the Houston Rockets 114-105. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports
The rise in production offensively has been the greatest and most noticeable improvement to his game. Butler spent the entire summer working to perfect his jump shot, which he failed to hit consistently throughout the better part of his career. The fruit of his efforts is apparent in his offensive statistics this season. He has produced career highs in field goal percentage, free throw attempts, free throw percentage, rebounds, assists, blocks and points. He has virtually become the complete package offensively.
He knocks down the three point shot at a good clip and has developed a knack for hitting turnaround mid-range jumpers. He has developed a post game, an element of his game that was never there prior to this season, and scores in a variety of ways with his back to the basket. His improved shooting percentage from outside warrants a lot of wild close-outs; which opens up shot faking opportunities and subsequent drives to the basket.
He has the uncanny ability to draw fouls and get to the line as proven by his 4th place ranking in the NBA in free throws attempted per game. He remains extremely active offensively and gets a lot of his shots off cutting hard to the basket and second chance opportunities off of rebounds. Butler leads the Chicago Bulls in points per game and has become one of the main go-to guys offensively on this team. Pretty impressive for a team that has guys like Derrick Rose and Pau Gasol on their roster!