The Emergence of Jimmy "Neat" Butler
Is it too early to sing the praises of an NBA rookie who, as the 30th pick in the draft, is still well under the radar screen of most observers around the league? A rookie who has seen comparatively little playing time thus far? A rookie whose point production has been anything but eye-catching?
I'll let the late, great, Senator Clay Davis answer that:
Why "Neat"? Because Butler's game is noticeably uncomplicated and economical. No wasted motion, no histrionics; straight and to the point. Oh, and his initials are JB, so whether one is sitting at a bar, dancing at a club, or watching the Jimmy play, neat is always the preferred option.
What about the substance of the matter? That's a fair question. Everyone surely knows of Butler's hardships while growing up (thanks to the bio passed around to all NBA announcers), and the story is inspiring. But no matter how heart-warming his achievements have been thus far, few fans will become or remain excited about a player unless he can ball. Well, as Senator Davis suggests above, it's already clear that Neat can ball.
Known for his defense at Marquette, and an obvious fit for this Bulls team, Butler was, due to injuries, thrust into the position of having to guard one of the most potent offensive players in the league last night - Carmelo Anthony. Melo scored only four points in the final quarter of a tight game, with Neat glued to him much of the time.
Butler shows uncanny intelligence and restraint on the court, and appears to have a high basketball IQ. These are qualities that are particularly welcomed by Bulls fans, who have had to suffer through the likes of Tyrus Thomas and James Johnson in recent years.
Not surprisingly, Butler has not yet been aggressive on the offensive end. But the glimpses that we have gotten have been very encouraging. He is clearly the type of player who is unlikely to force bad shots. He has a smooth stroke, and a knack for drawing fouls. He also promises to be a solid free-throw shooter on a team that is decidedly weak in that area.
Given the tiny sample size to date, numbers are relatively meaningless. But Jimmy Butler has already shown more than enough to warrant excitement, and not only from Bulls fans. His coach and teammates are obviously happy with his early development, and even with the return of Rip and Deng, let's hope that he is given plenty of minutes during which he can continue to hone his skills.
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Jimmy needs a 3-point shot
I actually thought he was aggressive and almost reckless, but in a good way. He can draw a foul, for sure.
Tyrus Thomas rules.
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by your friendly BullsBlogger on Feb 3, 2012 9:46 AM CST reply actions 5 recs
reckless...
when failing to notice screens from BIG men – yes! I was surprised that he was able to keep playing after ramming into Chandler.
But on offense I believe that he should take more initiative.
by Paul Warfield on Feb 3, 2012 9:50 AM CST up reply actions
Yea the pick
was pretty nasty blindside but, didn’t think it should be a foul at all its not like he was trying to run through it he just didnt see it coming and was running full speed. but anyways really liked the guys game its hard to only play what like 2-3mins a game while trying to find yourself in the league and make a niche for urself to fit in with a championship team that has alot of good players that fit certain needs already if he can come in play some D and make the other team chase him while playing the backdoor cuts we could have a nice piece for the next 3-4yrs.
bordering on reckless, mostly becuase he knows he's not an outside shooter
and he’d have lots of open space because of it. And credit to him, he wasn’t afraid to just go right at the rim and hope something happened.
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by your friendly BullsBlogger on Feb 3, 2012 10:28 AM CST up reply actions 4 recs
That's a rec grabber
I couldn’t hold myself
by JustAnotherFan on Feb 3, 2012 5:56 PM CST up reply actions
Jimmy's yet to make a shot farther than 13 feet from the basket
3-pt range seems like a pipe dream at the moment.
Pat Riley is the devil.
he made a 3 pter
in the loss to philly.
Look
I didn’t want to offend anyone by saying the "f" word or generalizing my statement to any particular sex by saying "gays" or lesbians" or "bi’s" so "homos" is the most "politically correct" term. I’m just trying to be more tact in a tactless blog.
by Hindut Patrol on Feb 15, 2011 2:51 PM EST
He shot like 35% at Marquette last year from 3.
He didn’t take many, but 35% is decent.
Supporter of Carlos Austin Boozer, and I don't want to see Dwight Howard in a Bulls uniform. Call me crazy.
by wrigleyrocker12 on Feb 3, 2012 3:24 PM CST up reply actions
That's not a very impressive percentage from the college 3 point line.
by Ozzie Montana on Feb 4, 2012 9:48 AM CST up reply actions
It's not impressive, it's serviceable though.
Supporter of Carlos Austin Boozer, and I don't want to see Dwight Howard in a Bulls uniform. Call me crazy.
by wrigleyrocker12 on Feb 4, 2012 12:25 PM CST up reply actions
Do we need another 3Pt shooter
who is inconsisent i dunno i just don’t believe thats what they were looking for from him. i think they just pictured another lockdown or decent defender who fits into the chemistry and scheme of the team.
“Butler was, do to injuries, thrust into the position of having to guard…”
What, exactly, don’t you understand?
by Paul Warfield on Feb 3, 2012 11:28 AM CST up reply actions
*due
Schindler's List is, at the most basic level, a remake of Jurassic Park... ~Zizek
by THEKILLERWHALE on Feb 3, 2012 11:36 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Aside from one play last night
Butler looked pretty solid to me. Taj stepped in as a rookie and played like a veteran. I think if pressed, Butler can do the same.
The only play where Butler looked a little green to me was when Knicks defenders rushed him in the 4th, and he looked a little overanxious to get rid of the ball, kicking it back towards halfcourt, without noticing a wide open Boozer under the basket. Not too big a deal, it wasn’t a turnover or anything- but I think he definitely needs to spend more time in game and practice in these kinds of situations with teammates to help with his court awareness. He seems like the kind of player that wouldn’t take long to learn.
Then again, maybe he was just reticent to give Booz the ball down low, considering his tendency to brick layups, rather than dunk.
I forgot to mention
Nice job of slipping Clay Davis in there.
by NerdVernacular on Feb 3, 2012 11:04 AM CST up reply actions
What I especially like about Butler is that, in glimpses,
he looks like he can create off of the dribble. Really, outside of Rose and CJ, the Bulls don’t have another guy on the team that can do that, so to see Butler create a little bit is nice.
He’s a little bit big for a 2, but I can see him eventually starting at that spot, as he’s pretty athletic. Brewer’s better suited with the bench mob anyways, and with Rip missing games right now(and probably throughout the length of his stint with the Bulls), Butler should get minutes at that spot.
by dakoose on Feb 3, 2012 11:03 AM CST reply actions 1 recs
As long as he moves well laterally
It’d be nice to give opposing 2 guards matchup problems.
by NerdVernacular on Feb 3, 2012 11:06 AM CST up reply actions
I don't know if he can create off the dribble as much as just dribble
he was left pretty wide open
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by your friendly BullsBlogger on Feb 3, 2012 11:43 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs
i saw him get by his guy a couple times and his handles look good enough
to translate into success 1-on-1. I think he’s still trying to get a feel for his offense, as he barely touches the ball out there, but with time I think he’ll come out of his shell a little bit.
Also, with teams now going to the full-court press to get the ball out of Rose’s hands, he’s probably the best healthy non-PG to dribble it up the floor and make something happen. Noah’s alright at it but I don’t trust Booz, Kyle or Ronnie to bring it up and make the right play.
Don't trust Ronnie to bring the ball up?
After being crowned the best in the league, he’s ready to be the best at his position
-Adande
by BigforkBullsFan on Feb 4, 2012 8:37 AM CST via mobile up reply actions
i read in one of the threads that...
UPDATED NBA RUMORSSource: Orlando Magic have sent a scouting team 2watch Chicago Bulls the next few games..
Do you think this could be the reason Thibs is giving Bulter more mins lately?
just a thought…
by Da Bears2333333 on Feb 3, 2012 12:05 PM CST reply actions
As in, "Oh my God, Deng sucks and Jimmy is great!"
please please please take Noah-Gibson-Jimmy and leave us our Deng, please god***
I’m not sure the Magic scouts will be fooled…
"I actually think he's kind of cute."
-My fiance on Joakim Noah
*headdesk*
by Micdiddy on Feb 3, 2012 4:53 PM CST up reply actions 4 recs
Honestly, the Jimmy luv is out of control
Geebus, i like to root for rookis too, but…hes played like 50 minutes, and we didnt see any summer league or preseason
maybe we can trade Deng now!
A rookie whose point production has been anything but eye-catching?
It all depends on what that eye is looking at. Butler leads the team in TS% at the moment, with 65.4%. His usage of 15.3 is in the Korver/Brewer/Noah range, so he has not been a prolific scorer, but rather a very efficient one.
Sorry, but...
he has taken a total of 21 shots. If you are going to attempt to read something meaningful into that sort of sample size, then I’d recommend a rudimentary course in statistics.
by Paul Warfield on Feb 3, 2012 8:08 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
True, it's definitely a small sample size, but I think everyone is just going based on what
they’ve seen so far. And they, and I myself see plenty of things to like about him so far. Now if that trend continues, or he takes a step back, we won’t know until he gets a lot more minutes.
On the J.R. Smith bandwagon until otherwise advised.
Oh, I agree...
that he shows offensive promise. My only point in the original post was that it is too early to get excited about him as an offensive force.
It is particularly encouraging that there are so many other facets of his game to like. If he does develop into a productive scorer, it will be icing on the cake.
by Paul Warfield on Feb 3, 2012 9:12 PM CST up reply actions
when you pick a guy at 30 the first question is: does this guy even belong in the league?
i dont know how good butler will be, but i think the answer is “yes”, which is fine news.
"A household is a business given over to caring for small, temporarily insane people, a business subject to cash-flow problems, endless legal harassments, run by people who expect to have sex with each other, who occupy the same space, and who go nuts when either party has sex with anyone else. Once in marriage, a lot of people try to get out as fast as religious tradition, poverty, or devotion to children permits.""
by TheMoon on Feb 4, 2012 11:48 PM CST reply actions 1 recs
Agreed
My expectations of Jimmy Butler is tempered by his draft position. I dont expect him to be a star, but he definitely has the skills to play in the NBA. More importantly, he has the mindset to improve himself, and the dedication to be do so.
...and 4 months
"The Zen philosopher Basho once wrote: 'A flute with no holes is not a flute, And a doughnut with no hole is a Danish.' He was a funny guy."
Shitbirds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLawk9pd7Bs
"The Zen philosopher Basho once wrote: 'A flute with no holes is not a flute, And a doughnut with no hole is a Danish.' He was a funny guy."

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