From this morning's Chicago Trib:
Butler’s play is up there with stars
BY K.C. JOHNSON Tribune reporter
LOS ANGELES — Told that Clippers coach Doc Rivers said he’s playing at an All-Star level, Jimmy Butler shook his head.
“That’s a Marquette guy,” Butler said, referencing their shared alma mater.
There’s more to it than that.
It’s hard to believe after his underwhelming first season as a starting shooting guard, but with his defense remaining at an elite level and Butler averaging a team-high 21.3 points on 50.8 percent shooting, All-Star conversation will continue if this play does.
Butler had 22 points and eight assists in Monday’s 105-89 victory over the Clippers, marking the sixth time he has scored 20 or more points. He did so just nine times in his first three seasons combined. And this is with Butler missing the first two games with a sprained left thumb.
“When that game was on the line, he made big play after big play,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “He’s playing great basketball.”
Rivers revealed how much the Celtics liked Butler in the 2011 NBA draft before settling on MarShon Books at No. 25. The Bulls drafted Butler 30th.
“I loved him. I thought he was a tough kid,” Rivers said. “(Then-Marquette coach) Buzz (Williams), I remember him calling and telling me that this was the best guy he ever had. He said, ‘I know you’ll like him as a kid. I’m trying to tell people he’s a good player.’
“He’s maybe one of the few guys ever in the draft that people got lost in how good of a kid he was and couldn’t see how good of a player he was. In a crazy way, I thought that hurt Jimmy. No one saw the talent. I didn’t see it either. I didn’t know he was going to be this good.”
