The Chicago Bulls are exceeding preseason expectations. Projected to be a 7 or 8 seed at best, they are currently in fourth—and a mere half game behind second.
Jimmy Butler deserves the bulk of the credit, having elevated his game to MVP level. According to Basketball-Reference.com and ESPN.com, he is near the top of the league in almost every advanced metric:
Butler’s 7.7 leap in player efficiency rating (PER) nearly matches the 7.8 increase in 2014-15 when he won Most Improved Player. It's also higher than any player who qualified for the minutes per game leaderboard both of the last two seasons.
That not only puts him in MVP consideration but also for an unprecedented second MIP, which would be about the most Jimmy Butler thing ever.
When the Bulls inked Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade this summer, the conversation revolved around them joining Butler as the “Three Alphas.” But it’s evident now: there is only one.
And how the other stars, veterans and youngsters fit their games to accommodate him is the real question. Here are the steps th ...
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Article written by Kelly Scaletta
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November 23rd, 2016 by Kelly Scaletta Leave a reply »
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