Jimmy Butler ascending to TOP 5 player status

[HomoSapien]

I don’t know about Jimmy being a top 5 player, but he has the uncanny ability of being able to rise up to the big occasions so that he’s often the best player on the court. Dude is just a winner who fights, fights, fights.

[Pelly24]

He's really been a top 10 type of guy since 2016-2017. I've liked him more than Anthony Davis, for instance, for a while now. The 76ers letting him walk will be seen as a historic L. They probably win the chip with him last year.

Jimmy's numbers might fall, but he's a guy that can get 23/7/7 on +5 TS% with elite defense. He can be your No. 1 scoring option sometimes, but he's better as a No. 2 scoring option who can run the offense and play defense and get you 18-21 ppg but you're not always depending on it. And then as a No. 3 scoring option, he's even more valuable. He can make clutch shots, free throws, playmaker, keep turnovers low, make it so you don't waste possessions, make effort plays, make big defensive plays...he can basically do it all. He's like a less talented, B-minus version of prime LeBron, which is to say, a top 10 type of guy.

The thing with Jimmy is, it's consistent across countless teammates, different organizations, coaches, etc. He is always great, it's not situational. That's how you know a player is great—or, at least, one of the ways you can tell.

[SharpyShuffle]

Right now there are four players who are a step above everyone else in the league: Jokic, KD, Steph and Giannis.

The fifth slot is absolutely up for grabs. It might be LeBron, but we won't know until the playoffs, since he'll never again give 100% effort consistently in the regular season. There's really nothing stopping Butler taking that fifth spot over the likes of Luka, Embiid, Harden etc. And right now he's clearly outperforming any of them (though it's early days etc.)

Anyone who thinks Butler can't be top 5 has an artificial definition of what "top 5 player" means and isn't thinking properly about who are actually the best players in the league right now.

[Black Jack]

I don't think he's better than Giannis, Curry, Jokic, Durant, or LeBron. We just saw LeBron spank him in the finals.

The main issue Butler has is being overpowered physically by LeBron/Giannis types and outskilled by Durant/Curry/Jokic types. He lacks the ability to force his will on the game. He is ideally a #2 guy to me.

If he was a good shooter I would be more bullish and I would definitely rather face him than any of the top 5 guys I named.

[celticfan42487]

Nopearooni

[a8bil]

People can think whatever they want to think, but I just want to thank our good friends from Canada for sharing Lowery with us. The effect lowery has had on Jimmy has been profound. Jimmy always hustled on both side of the floor. but now he is an efficient scorer to boot.

Lowry should always stand as proof of how a player can evolve and improve throughout their career. He's turned himself into a legit perennial all star leader...he's arguably CP3 level for the last several years.

[Impuniti]

He ain't better than Giannis, Durant, Curry, Jokic and Doncic if we're talking about first 15 games

Jimmy 10.1 BPM | .333 WS/48 | 29.8 PER
Doncic 3.3 BPM | .093 WS/48 | 21.8 PER

per 100 poss
Jimmy: 36.0 points | 62.9% TS
Doncic: 35.3 points | 52.0% TS

In what world has Doncic been better than Jimmy this season?

Doncic has to be the most overrated player by GMs and media right now. There's an actual Balkan superstar out there that the media should be salivating over, but it ain't Doncic.

[KingFox]

I'd take him over this current version of Anthony Davis, i know that much.

[SpreeS]

Yes, he is TOP5 this season

SC30, Giannis, Joker, KD and Butler.

[SerialChiller]

Doesn't matter, he knows what the goal is...

Read on Twitter

[Jfh20]

he will never be in the category of a curry, lebron, kawhi, giannis until he brings miami a title. Just getting there isnt enough, he has to win it. An MVP award to go with it would also help cement him as top 5. You dont get respect in this league by putting up numbers, you gotta win it all. I was never a big giannis fan but when he won it all with the bucks i was forced to give him his due respect and put him in the top 5. Maybe this is the year jimmy breaks out and gets that much deserved respect, who knows there really isnt a juggernaut out there right now that scares anyone. Lakers look like **** and are a play in team atm, bucks dont look the same, nets are struggling without kyrie, and miami is a #1 seed atm.

[DroseReturnChi]

He's really been a top 10 type of guy since 2016-2017. I've liked him more than Anthony Davis, for instance, for a while now. The 76ers letting him walk will be seen as a historic L. They probably win the chip with him last year.

jimmys never been top 10 always hardstuck top 20 which is why bulls shipped him for free and got a better player.
sure hes better than AD but almost everyone is because hes washed up from 2 yrs ago.
and other players have replaced AD mainly Luka magic.

jimmys is in the process of being washed up with his mileage piling up. he had already trouble playing 40 minutes and was grinded badly by thibs. after he became all star, began to neglect to defense for bigger role and he is like russ shooting getting worse yr by yr. impact wise top 10 but never tier 1 all nba guy similar to dray green. his filthy contract is so big he will never outplay it. he is an ideal robin 3rd option on a title team. im only expecting miami to be title contenders bc they all ined which reminds me of bucks move for jrue.

[Dupp]

He was top 5 two seasons ago and then last season had an injury interrupted year.

In other words

Spoiler:

Watch on YouTube

[Dupp]

He's really been a top 10 type of guy since 2016-2017. I've liked him more than Anthony Davis, for instance, for a while now. The 76ers letting him walk will be seen as a historic L. They probably win the chip with him last year.

jimmys never been top 10 always hardstuck top 20 which is why bulls shipped him for free and got a better player.
sure hes better than AD but almost everyone is because hes washed up from 2 yrs ago.
and other players have replaced AD mainly Luka magic.

jimmys is in the process of being washed up with his mileage piling up. he had already trouble playing 40 minutes and was grinded badly by thibs. after he became all star, began to neglect to defense for bigger role and he is like russ shooting getting worse yr by yr. impact wise top 10 but never tier 1 all nba guy similar to dray green. his filthy contract is so big he will never outplay it.

Lol this whole post is dribble but what better player than Jimmy did the bulls get ?

[God Squad]

People can think whatever they want to think, but I just want to thank our good friends from Canada for sharing Lowery with us. The effect lowery has had on Jimmy has been profound. Jimmy always hustled on both side of the floor. but now he is an efficient scorer to boot.

We been tryna tell ya'll for years.

[antonac]

It's tight at the top but he's there abouts.

[DroseReturnChi]

I don't think he's better than Giannis, Curry, Jokic, Durant, or LeBron. We just saw LeBron spank him in the finals.

The main issue Butler has is being overpowered physically by LeBron/Giannis types and outskilled by Durant/Curry/Jokic types. He lacks the ability to force his will on the game. He is ideally a #2 guy to me.

If he was a good shooter I would be more bullish and I would definitely rather face him than any of the top 5 guys I named.

his talent is literally the worst he was not even nba caliber. small wingspan, cant shoot, just horrible archetype.
lebron/giannis can literally not train anymore and be better than jimmy. jimmy became max level bc of hard work but theres no extra boost for him. and the modern era hates jimmy he will vanish like gerald wallace quickly.
i only predicted his all star in yr 1 because he works several times more jordan esque. 500 nba players need to really get spanked for being an inferior player to jimmy. if carmelo and AD had jimmy's work ethic, they would be goats. but the more underappreciated thing is he has exceptional bbiq which is why he could get away with non shooting.

[Black Jack]

I don't think he's better than Giannis, Curry, Jokic, Durant, or LeBron. We just saw LeBron spank him in the finals.

The main issue Butler has is being overpowered physically by LeBron/Giannis types and outskilled by Durant/Curry/Jokic types. He lacks the ability to force his will on the game. He is ideally a #2 guy to me.

If he was a good shooter I would be more bullish and I would definitely rather face him than any of the top 5 guys I named.

his talent is literally the worst he was not even nba caliber. small wingspan, cant shoot, just horrible archetype.
lebron/giannis can literally not train anymore and be better than jimmy. jimmy became max level bc of hard work but theres no extra boost for him. and the modern era hates jimmy he will vanish like gerald wallace quickly.
i only predicted his all star in yr 1 because he works several times more jordan esque. 500 nba players need to really get spanked for being an inferior player to jimmy. if carmelo and AD had jimmy's work ethic, they would be goats. but the more underappreciated thing is he has exceptional bbiq which is why he could get away with non shooting.

I basically disagree, Butler is a talented player but he just isn't an incredible hulk level world-beating athlete like LeBron / Giannis. And he's really good, tough, a gamer. We all know he's got a lot of good points. But his skills aren't at the level of absolute freaks like Curry.

So he's really good, just not a historically athletic or skilled player. He's probably an all star in any era and a HoF guy. Maybe the Heat led by Jimmy eke out a ring. I'm still taking the 5 I mentioned over him, controlling for teammates/franchise quality.

[Pennebaker]

Butler isn't better than LeBron or even Anthony Davis.

[boomershadow]

I remember most people criticized Jimmy when he first said he was a point guard.