With expanded playing time due to injuries, the evidence that Butler is a rising star in the NBA is there - over the last eight games Butler has averaged 38.6 minutes, 15.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. The Bulls are 6-2 in those games.
Those stats are impressive for any player in the NBA, especially when it comes from an unknown 2nd year player. But the real evidence of his rise to stardom can be seen in other areas. The BMO Harris Bradley Center was full of Chicago Bulls fans on Wednesday, and with stars on the roster like Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Kirk Hinrich, Loul Deng and Rip Hamilton on the roster, you expect to see a lot of fans wearing their jerseys in the crowd. There were, but there were also a lot of Jimmy Butler jerseys. And then there is the post game......
You would expect the local media to be drawn to Butler who played his college ball at Marquette, but the Chicago media loves him too. After the game the big name players sat in their lockers changing, the crowd of reporters surrounded Butler. He was the same old Jimmy Butler.... "It felt great to be back here, to see my former teammates.....If they need me to play the 2, 3 or 4, I'll play wherever they need me, I'm just trying to help my team."
There is that word, "Team". Butler has always been a team player, it showed at Marquette and it shows with the Bulls, and his teammates know it. With every interview, every question, he heard it from his teammates, yelling, "Jimmy Butler - Rising Star!" or "Jimmy Booooyyyy!", and they would stand behind the cameras trying to make him laugh. There was no question that not only is he a fan favorite, but a favorite of his teammates as well.
As Butler showered and most of the players boarded the bus, more members of the Chicago media waited for him as they wanted more. When Jimmy finally finished up, before he headed up to Marquette's campus, he talked to us about his experience at Marquette.....
When you look at Jimmy Butler's life, rising up from a homeless teen to a basketball star in one of the largest cities in the world, you have to appreciate that he is as humble as ever. Congrats Jimmy, and keep rising!