Nobody needed the All-Star break more than Jimmy Butler. But, since the break, the 27-year-old superstar hasn’t looked liked himself. What’s going on?
Before the NBA’s All-Star break, Jimmy Butler was a legitimate MVP candidate on the second tier of guys behind Russell Westbrook, James Harden, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard.
In 51 games before the break, Butler averaged 24.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game and was named a starter for the Eastern Conference in New Orleans.
Since then, it’s been a struggle for Butler.
In the three games for the Butler and the Bulls since the break (2-1), Butler is averaging just 16.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 2.7 steals per game. His per-game assists and steal totals are up compared to the pre-break numbers, but outside of a couple good late moments against the Phoenix Suns last week, Butler hasn’t been the same dominant Butler we saw earlier in the year.
Here’s a look at his shot chart in the three post-break games against Phoenix, the Cleveland Cavaliers (where he did record a triple-double) and the Denver Nuggets:
Looking at post-ASB Jimmy Butler stuff for a piece today & this ... isn't ideal.
— Michael Whitlow (@couldbelikemike) March 2, 2017
(SSS of 3 games, though. AST/STL per-game numbers are ^.) pic.twitter.com/Tlv0q2WiTv
Butler’s always preferred shooting on the right side of the floor over his rise to stardom, but when a three-time All-Star is shooting 20 percent below the league average at the rim, that’s a little alarming.
When you ignore that weird double screen from Rajon Rondo and Robin Lopez, when’s the last time you’ve seen Butler miss a gimme like this one?
Before the break, Butler had been shooting 58.1 percent on 303 attempts at the rim, almost two percent better than the league average of 56.4 percent.
“I haven’t been in rhythm in a while now,” Butler said after Tuesday’s loss to Denver, via The Athletic Chicago‘s Sean Highkin. “It’s OK, though. We’ve got a couple more games for me to get in a rhythm and make some shots.”
He’s not wrong. Butler’s been off.
In the three games before the break, Butler shot 17-for-46 from the field (36.9 percent) against Phoenix, Toronto and Boston, where the Bulls were bailed out with a last-second foul on a Butler shot by Marcus Smart.
“I don’t know what it was,” Fred Hoiberg said after the loss Tuesday, per Highkin. “He just didn’t get into the flow or rhythm. We ran a lot of actions that we run for Jimmy that he normally converts on. Jimmy’s fine. He’ll bounce back.”
Hoiberg mentioning that Butler is “fine” is notable, being that Butler missed six games prior to the break with a few nagging injuries/sickness.
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Outside of the Cleveland game where Butler put up an 18/10/10 triple-double (where the Bulls hit a season-high 15 (!) 3-pointers on 30 (!!) attempts on national television), it’s been a struggle for Butler and the Bulls.
It’s no secret that when Butler isn’t on and is missing shots, the Bulls aren’t good. They’re not good to begin with, but when Butler is struggling to make an impact, that’s when things get really bad.
That impact comes from his best attribute: getting to the free throw line.
Before the break, Butler was shooting 9.6 attempts per game from the line and making almost 87 percent of them. Only five guys this season — Harden, Westbrook, DeMarcus Cousins, Isaiah Thomas and Anthony Davis — have taken more free throw attempts than Butler.
In the three games after the break, Butler is shooting just 2.7 attempts from the charity stripe per game.
Butler mentioned that they have a couple more games to get in rhythm. They’re going to need them to, seeing as five of their next six games (including Thursday night against the Durant-less Golden State Warriors) are against teams currently in the postseason.
Next: The Bulls ... and Jimmer Fredette?
Without Jimmy Butler’s contributions, the Bulls won’t be sitting 1.5 games ahead of the Detroit Pistons (who they meet this Monday night in Detroit) for the seventh spot in the East for too much longer.