1. Bradley Beal, Shooting Guard
The final and most underrated name on this list that gave Butler fits in his career to date is the Wizards star shooting guard Bradley Beal. While the Wizards aren’t very good at the moment, Beal does manage to be a true thorn in the side of Butler in pretty much every one of their meetings, whether it be the regular season of the playoffs.
When the Bulls and Wizards met in the 2014 NBA playoffs, Beal and his squad from the nation’s capital got the best of Butler’s team in a surprising decisive five-game series victory. Beal also holds an edge in the 19 regular season meetings between him and Butler, with a record of 11-8. Even though the Wizards success in the win column took a dip in recent years, Beal still usually managed to get the best of Butler.
In the 19 regular season meetings between Beal and Butler, the former of the two averaged 18.6 points per game, 3.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.4 blocks. Beal shot 46.3 percent from the field, 38.4 percent from beyond the arc, and 80.8 percent from the free-throw line.
In the five playoff meetings between Butler and Beal, the latter of the two averaged 19.8 points per game, 4.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.6 blocks. He did that while shooting an astounding 45.0 percent from beyond the arc and better than 88.0 percent from the charity stripe.
At this point of his career, Beal seems to be well in the midst of his prime years of production. He was an All-Star during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. And he likely should’ve been an All-Star selection to represent the East this year. In the current season, he is averaging more than 30 points per game.