Chicago Bulls: Comparing this team to our last playoff team
By Keith Cork
2016-17 Jimmy Butler Per 36: 23.3 PPG, 5.3 APG, 1.8 SPG, 6 RPG, 45.5 FG%, 36.7 3PT%, 86.5 FT%, 2 TOV
Vs.
2019-20 Otto Porter Per 36: 16.1 PPG, 2.2 APG, 1.4 SPG, 4.9 RPG, 41.7 FG%, 40 3PT%, 75 FT%, 1.1 TOV
In all fairness to Otto, every single stat besides steals is down from the 15 games he played with the Bulls last year, and he’s been injured all year but still this matchup seems like a given already with just these stat lines. Jimmy is a four-time all-star and a former Most Improved Player recipient.
Scoring
Outside of three-point shooting, Jimmy wins this hands down. Not only does he have the capability of getting his own shot, he also is one of the most skilled players in the league at getting to the line, getting there 8.7 times a game in 2016-17 and hitting at an impressive clip of 86.5%. We don’t really have to look too deeply into the numbers in this one to give it to Jimmy.
Winner: Jimmy Butler
Defense
Jimmy is known as an elite defender, and the numbers really support this assumption with his 3.8 Defensive Win Shares in 2016-17 and Defensive Plus Minus of 1.1 compared to 0.3 and -0.2 respectively for Otto Porter. Jimmy can be relied on to give the star player on the opposing team fits, from guards to lanky forwards.
Winner: Jimmy Buckets
Rebounding
Jimmy has the edge in Total Rebounding % with 9% vs. Porter’s 7.2%. However, Porter had 9.2% in his 15 games with the Bulls last season. Per 100 possessions, 2016-17 Jimmy Butler averaged 8.4 rebounds per game while this year’s version of Otto Porter would only average 6.5 (8.2 last season.)
Winner: The slight edge here goes to Jimmy.
Intangibles
Otto Porter doesn’t bring much to the table as far as this goes, but one thing I’ve always liked about his game is his ability to contribute without an insanely high usage rate. His career usage sits at just 16.3% and he has always put up pretty good numbers, meaning he does so efficiently. His effective field goal percentage on his career is 55.7 while Jimmy’s is 49.
We also cannot ignore the awful drag on team morale that Jimmy has on his teammates, from cussing his own team out during practices to demanding coaches be fired. I’m giving this one to Otto unless Jimmy someday backs up his diva attitude with meaningful wins at the highest level. If intangibles still means “hustle” to all you old-schoolers out there, though, you can feel free to fight me on this one.
Winner: Otto Porter Jr.