Chicago Bulls: 30 greatest players in franchise history

With the Bulls securing the best record in the NBA in 2010-11, they had the 30th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. That pick became Marquette’s Jimmy Butler, an athletic role player with an incredible backstory. Not many people could have guessed what Butler would become as an NBA player.

Butler showed flashes of brilliance early in his career, and Tom Thibodeau trusted him so much that he played 48 minutes in five playoff games for the undermanned Bulls in 2013. But it wasn’t until 2014-15 that Butler truly broke out.

Butler was hampered by a toe injury in 2013-14 and failed to reach an agreement on a contract extension after that season, so all he did was come back in 2014-15 and blossom into an All-Star. He won Most Improved Player and earned himself a max contract in the process.

Butler just kept getting better from there, culminating in a career year in 2016-17. He averaged 23.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.9 steals in 37.0 minutes per game that year, giving him a spot on the All-NBA third team for the first time. He also made it to the All-Star Game for the third consecutive season.

While Butler had developed into a borderline top-10 player, the Bulls’ failures as a team resulted in  a decision to rebuild. That meant trading Butler, who went to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a deal that brought Lauri Markkanen, Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn to Chicago. The Bulls are hoping those three players can be cornerstones of their next successful team, so the legacy of Butler lives on in Chicago.