On paper, the disparity between the sides of that deal felt fairly stark. Still, the fit never quite worked out for the Bulls, who traded Butler in 2017 to acquire Kris Dunn, Lauri Markkanen and current centerpiece Zach LaVine. But by 2015 he had become a verified star with a Most Improved Player trophy and an All-Star designation to prove it. It took a few seasons for Butler to warm up to his role in the league after the Bulls drafted him in 2011. Although Butler couldn’t replicate his heroics from previous rounds, he still averaged 21.6 points on 41.3% shooting against the Nuggets to cap another commanding postseason.įor Bulls fans, the question that follows is instinctive and emotionally dangerous: Could Butler have done all of this in Chicago? The Heat had clearly run out of gas by the Finals, and it’s unclear if any team’s defense could have withstood the buzz saw of a fully operational Denver Nuggets offense. “It’s not a thing,” Butler insisted to the media after the Game 4 win over the Bucks. Yet despite the mythos steeped in his playoff success, Butler continues to shrug off the nickname and the expectations that come with it.
This statistic is matched only by Hakeem Olajuwon, James Worthy, Ben Wallace, Robert Horry and Bryon Russell.
Butler has joined a unique class of players in NBA history to record a higher average of points, rebounds, assists and shooting percentage in 100 or more playoff games than they did in the regular season.
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