Is Jimmy Butler a top 100 player all time?

[durantbird]

In the top 100 project 2020, Jimmy was not selected. How far is he from that? Maybe you think he's a top 100 after all?

How does his ranking all time change if he wins it all this year?

[Stalwart]

Right now I think hes someone to consider for a top 100 spot but not a definite choice. He's a bit of an honorable mention as a great player.

If he wins it all this year? I think he becomes a top 75 player and a bonafide 'all time great'.

[rate_]

He's currently having a TOP 5 postseason peak. If he maintains with a Finals berth, then he should be.

[rand]

The Top-100 Project is heavily driven by accolades (including team success) and raw stats. Carmelo made the top 100 project at #92 and prime Jimmy is clearly better than prime Melo in my eyes. Carmelo just has a lot more All-Star and All-NBA selections and points scored, which all count for a lot in these things.

Somehow Butler is peaking in these playoffs at age 32 while posting ATG stats. Currently +13.8 BPM which would be #5 all-time ahead of 1990 MJ at +13.7, 1976 (ABA) Julius Erving at +13.6, and 2010 Wade at +13.5. If Miami wins the title through Butler sustaining this level of play, I can't imagine where he would jump to on the All-Time Peaks rankings.

[Dr Positivity]

Yes, in the 2020 one he seemed like he just missed to me, add in two more good seasons and he should be a top 100 lock.

[HeartBreakKid]

I have him in the 80s if I can recall.

[trex_8063]

I think he makes the cut rather easily at this point. Is he top 80 is a better question, imo.

[Cavsfansince84]

Yes, in the 2020 one he seemed like he just missed to me, add in two more good seasons and he should be a top 100 lock.

Ya, it felt like he was just outside and made some ballots I think before the end with the main thing being his lack of prime seasons. With 3 more high level seasons and the current playoff run in the mix he should be top 80 at least imo. I think a title would easily get him into the top 60. Which he deserves imo.

[Cavsfansince84]

The Top-100 Project is heavily driven by accolades (including team success) and raw stats. Carmelo made the top 100 project at #92 and prime Jimmy is clearly better than prime Melo in my eyes. Carmelo just has a lot more All-Star and All-NBA selections and points scored, which all count for a lot in these things.

Somehow Butler is peaking in these playoffs at age 32 while posting ATG stats. Currently +13.8 BPM which would be #5 all-time ahead of 1990 MJ at +13.7, 1976 (ABA) Julius Erving at +13.6, and 2010 Wade at +13.5. If Miami wins the title through Butler sustaining this level of play, I can't imagine where he would jump to on the All-Time Peaks rankings.

Those things matter just as impact stats are heavily used as well as prime/longevity arguments are. I think most voters used a wide variety of criteria and the biggest variable was between some who focus on peaks of 2-3 years as opposed to careers of 10-12 years. As well as rings/no rings.

[Doctor MJ]

In the top 100 project 2020, Jimmy was not selected. How far is he from that? Maybe you think he's a top 100 after all?

How does his ranking all time change if he wins it all this year?

He'll probably be in my Top 100 even if he doesn't quite pull that off, though it will depend on what I see from him from here on out.

ftr, I thought Jimmy was a serious contender for Top 100 the last time around. He wouldn't have made my 100, just like he didn't make the collective RealGM 100, but he wasn't someone to be dismissed lightly imho.

A lot of what's tricky about evaluating Jimmy's career is the volatility. While I wouldn't put any blame on him for how things ended in Chicago or Philly, his behavior in Minny was not at all professional and basically cost Thibs his job there - which not a great way to pay back the man who first gave you the opportunity to shine in the NBA. (I know Jimmy was like this because of the issues he saw with KAT/Wiggins, and those issues were very real, but still, to say he could have handled it more professionally is an understatement, and his behavior there almost certainly contributed to why Philly was so wary about about max-ing him out.)

If, in the end, Jimmy is seen as someone who was a beloved franchise player for the Heat, that will go a long way to smoothing over issues like this in his past.

[Doctor MJ]

The Top-100 Project is heavily driven by accolades (including team success) and raw stats. Carmelo made the top 100 project at #92 and prime Jimmy is clearly better than prime Melo in my eyes. Carmelo just has a lot more All-Star and All-NBA selections and points scored, which all count for a lot in these things.

Somehow Butler is peaking in these playoffs at age 32 while posting ATG stats. Currently +13.8 BPM which would be #5 all-time ahead of 1990 MJ at +13.7, 1976 (ABA) Julius Erving at +13.6, and 2010 Wade at +13.5. If Miami wins the title through Butler sustaining this level of play, I can't imagine where he would jump to on the All-Time Peaks rankings.

I don't actually think the voting base on these projects is all that accolade focused. I think the reality is that most basketball people just overrate Melo, and always have.

(You can probably still find someone somewhere that still insists that Melo was a better "pure scorer" than LeBron because of all the scoutable scoring skills Melo had - nevermind the fact that he never put them to use effectively enough to be the scoring threat LeBron was. I'd argue that such scouting-bias radiates out from the NBA players themselves, who notoriously overrate volume scorers with style.)

[Jaivl]

He's around #90 right now for me, and bound to rise quite a bit after this season.

[ceoofkobefans]

Very very easily. He’s probably getting close to the top 75 range. I’d have PG13 top 75 and I can’t say Jimmy is significantly worse than PG13 although there is a noticeable gap.