9. Joakim Noah & Jimmy Butler (2013-14)
Joakim Noah and Jimmy Butler are our first duo of the 21st century here at No. 9 due to their dynamic 2013-14 campaign. After spending 2012-13 recuperating from a torn ACL, Derrick Rose would tear his meniscus just 10 games into the next season, forcing other players to step up to carry the Bulls.
Noah proudly accepted that burden and posted his single best individual season in Chicago, averaging 12.6 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game en route to being named an All-Star, All-NBA First Team, and winning the Defensive Player of the Year Award.
Butler would also be alleviated from a bench role after two seasons spent on the sidelines learning Tom Thibodeau’s system. He’d log an astronomical 38.7 minutes per game in his first season as a starter, and provided the energy and elite two-way play that this Bulls team desperately needed to compensate for the loss of Rose.
Jimmy Butler and Joakim Noah just barely missed each other’s superstar peaks while on the Chicago Bulls.
Even without their star player, the Bulls would post an impressive 48-34 record while allowing the fewest points scored per game on defense. Despite securing the fourth seed, their offensive deficiencies in the absence of Rose proved to be too great, as they lost in five games to the Washington Wizards and left fans wondering what could have been.
Unfortunately, Noah was one year too early with his DPOY performance that season and his athletic prime would soon witness a steep and dramatic decline. Meanwhile, Butler was primed to make a massive leap into stardom the next season, but wasn’t quite there yet. If these two stars had their timelines align more conveniently, it’s hard to not think about all the damage they could have caused as a duo.