Jimmy Butler Only Recently Realized He Might Actually ‘Be On Somebody’s Scouting Reports’

Sometimes we forget NBA stars might not be in the best position to assess their own level of stardom and efficacy in the league. It’s hard when you’re living it. Take Jimmy Butler, for instance. The fourth-year Bulls guard was the 30th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, so it’s not like he was destined to be an All-Star, like he was named this past season.

No, Jimmy was originally supposed to be the 3&D compliment to Derrick Rose, but with Rose’s injuries preventing him from his role as franchise cornerstone, Butler was thrust into new situations on the offensive end, and he routinely improved his game within a framework that gave him more responsibility than many anticipated.

Now he’s got a $95.5 million max deal and his new head coach, Fred Hoiberg, called Butler “phenomenal” so far in camp. Not only that, but second-year forward Doug McDermott recently told David Aldridge of NBA.com that Butler’s “hands down, the best player in camp.”

Even with those commendations, Butler — who was homeless as a teenager — doesn’t seem to understand just how much his play acts as a spark for Chicago’s success. His ability to create and make plays, while locking down the best perimeter player on the other side of the court, has forced opposing teams to spend a lot of time strategizing on how to slow him down.

Don’t tell Jimmy that, though. Butler explained to Aldridge that he didn’t even realize other teams might be specifically game planning for him.

“You know, I never really thought of it like this until Coach (Jim) Boylen said it to me the other day at practice. All summer, I’m working on my game, I’m working on my game — yeah, I think everybody knows that. But I step into practicing, making a few shots. And he was like, ‘you know, Jimmy, yeah, you’ve got an open shot. But you’ve got to start looking to facilitate, get the ball to the other guys more. Because, believe it or not, you’re going to be a key points on people’s scouting reports.’ I never thought of it like that. I never thought that, hey, Jimmy Butler may be on somebody’s scouting reports, like, ‘hey, we have to stop this guy.’ Seriously.”

[…]

“It never crossed my mind. This entire summer, it never had been, teams are going to key in on you. It’s always been, put the ball in the basket. You’ve got to finish. But when he put it to me like that, it was like, well, damn, you’ve got to know where everybody is on the floor.”

Think about that. Butler’s so focused on other things, it only recently dawned on him that he might be the focal point of an opponent’s scouting report. That’s either incredibly naïve, or a level of humility you just don’t often see in professional sports — and certainly not at the level where Butler currently resides.

(NBA.com)

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