It’s difficult to tell if the above video is Jimmy Butler showing off his hops by jumping to the top of a 50-inch box, like the title of the video and The Post Game article suggests. What we do know is that Butler can get up, and his no-step vertical coming out of Marquette in 2011 was 32 inches. (His max vertical was 39, one of the highest in his class).
If the above video is to be believed, it’s no sweat.
According to trainer Travelle Gaines, “He’s training so he can still be explosive in the fourth quarter.”
Got it, but how does it compare to Rajon Rondo in this 2012 jump box clip, where Rondo almost has to be induced into doing it?
Rondo’s looks a little harder, like the top of the box is substantially higher in relation to Rondo’s body.
Butler’s 50-inch box jump isn’t as hard as it might first appear, and there’s no way to tell if a 32 inch no-step vertical can already clear a 50-inch jump box.
According to higher-faster-sports, athletes who play a jump-oriented sport (think basketball or volleyball) stand a chance of improving 5-6 inches from maturation alone. Even if Jimmy jumped six inches since college, which is on the high side for someone who came into the league after three years of college, that might still leave him short.
But, the author of that higher-faster-sports article also said they improved their vert by 20 inches. They maximized their efficiency at jumping and improving their strength and power with weight and resistance training.
Jimmy Butler could have absolutely improved his no-step vertical enough to have reached the top of the box.
If this was a MythBusters episode, we’d say “True,” or “Confirmed” (for all those seasons after the first).
