Reflecting on Jimmy Butler’s time as a member of the Chicago Bulls before his return game

Jimmy Butler is returning to the United Center on Friday to take on the Chicago Bulls. After the way he was treated by the front office while in Chicago, it’s safe to say Jimmy has revenge on his mind. Let’s take a look back at some of Jimmy G. Buckets’ best moments as a member of the Chicago Bulls and what to expect for Friday’s matchup.

When Jimmy Butler was traded last summer, there was a lot of scrutiny on both sides. Did the Bulls get enough in return? Were Jimmy’s leadership flaws the major reason for him being traded? Did the Chicago Bulls front office side with Hoiberg over Butler? These questions will never have answers that are known to the public – but what we do know, is that the Bulls traded a perennial All-Star, fan-favorite, and absolute work horse and on Friday, he’ll be ready to show them what they gave up.

I think the toughest part of giving up on the Jimmy Butler era was that Jimmy played the kind of basketball that Bulls fans loved. He wasn’t flashy, he was a grinder. He didn’t care that it was “his team,” he just wanted to win, and he never took a play off on defense. Not only was his style of play unique to the modern NBA All-Star, but it stems from a unique come-up. Jimmy wasn’t one of ESPN’s top recruits out of high school, he didn’t go to a “Blue Blood” college program, and he wasn’t a lottery pick.

The expectations were never high for him. Most people thought his ceiling would be a defensive stopper. But his intense work-ethic proved everyone wrong.

Reflecting on Jimmy’s time as a Chicago Bull 

It’s hard to compile a complete list of Jimmy’s best moments as a Bull when there were so many. So let’s just reminisce on some of those great moments and what he brought to the Bulls.

Jimmy Butler, the 30th overall draft pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, didn’t have a Kyle Kuzma-esque rookie year. He wasn’t impressive and productive like Kuzma has been for a late first-round pick.

Jimmy averaged a mere 2.6 points in less than 9 minutes of play per game as a rookie.

Nobody thought he would go on to be a max-contract caliber, perennial All-Star. Nobody was right.

Jimmy’s defense-first mentality ended up earning him playing time on a Tom Thibodeau Bulls team that valued defense more than any other team in the NBA at that time. And a multitude of Derrick Rose injuries allowed for Jimmy to have more opportunities to grow on the offensive end.

By the time the 2014-15 season rolled around, Jimmy was ready to make his leap into stardom. He went from averaging 13.1 points per game on 39.7 percent shooting, to averaging 20 points per game on 46.2 percent shooting. That impressive jump earned him the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award and his first ever All-Star nod.

The rest is history

Jimmy became that guy for the Chicago Bulls that Derrick Rose couldn’t be throughout his injury plagued seasons. He constantly got it done on both ends of the floor and was a staple of what out-working your competition can get you.

Jimmy went from being a guy that nobody thought would be an offensive weapon, to a guy that scored a career-high 53 points in Philly in 2016. Here are some highlights from that historic performance:

While this was his career high in scoring, to me the performance that jumps out at me most from Jimmy’s time as a Bull was from last season.

The Bulls were a fringe playoff team that needed a win on its home court and couldn’t afford to drop a game to one of the NBA’s worst teams (The Brooklyn Nets). So what did Jimmy do? He put the team on his back and scored 40 points to go along with 11 rebounds and one of the best and most memorable buzzer-beaters of the entire NBA season. Check out some highlights from the performance below:

Jimmy finished his final season with the Chicago Bulls averaging roughly 24 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. What a run he had.

So what should we expect on Friday night in Chicago? 

While it wasn’t necessarily a terribly bitter departure from Chicago, there definitely were some hard feelings between Jimmy and the franchise – and rightfully so.

Jimmy is now reunited with former teammate Taj Gibson and former coach Tom Thibodeau, and is playing some of his best basketball.

He’s averaging about 22 points per game to go along with 5 rebounds and 5 assists while shooting a career best 47.6 percent from the field. Not only has Butler been playing great basketball, but he’s changed the culture in Minnesota as well.

Minnesota won a total of 31 games last season and has already eclipsed that mark this season. Their current record is 34-22 and Jimmy has them in fourth place in the highly competitive Western Conference. They play the Cavs tonight on ESPN but up next after that… The Bulls in Chicago.

I think Jimmy was fine with the move, he’s on a better team, playing for a better franchise, and he gets to be the leader. But don’t think for one second that his return game in Chicago won’t mean something to him. He’s coming for blood. Check out what he had to say about his return:

A little part of me hopes he goes for 40 and has something to say to our bench every time he scores. If there’s one guy in the NBA that deserves to do that, it’s Jimmy G. Buckets (the G stands for “Gets” for those of you that were unaware).

Bulls fans loved Jimmy and most still do. I’m expecting a video tribute to him at some point which should get the fans involved, but as for the game itself? I’m guessing the Chicago Bulls get blown out on national television in front of their home crowd by their former leader.