1. Jimmy Butler : Chicago Bulls
Butler is proving he is a star player. The Bulls are no longer D-Rose’s team. Butler is having a phenomenal season on both sides of the ball. He is averaging 22.4 points per game, third-most among shooting guards. He is averaging 5.2 rebounds per game, third among shooting guards. Butler has scored 30 or more points in seven games this season, three of which he scored at least 40. His career-high came on January 14th against Philadelphia, when he scored 53 points.
What separates Butler from the rest of the league is his defense. He is one of the best two-way players in the entire league and deserves to be mentioned in the same conversation as Kawhi Leonard of the Spurs. Two examples of Butler’s defensive prowess are the two matchups the Bulls faced the Cavaliers this season. The Bulls won both of those games, and LeBron James was primarily guarded by Butler. In the two games, LeBron shot 23-for-49, which is just under 50 percent, but it’s the number of shots LeBron was forced to take that is a key to notice. In particular, the second meeting on January 27th, LeBron shot 11-for-27. If Butler can contain LeBron to that degree in a playoff series, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Chicago could upset Cleveland.
That does it for our shooting guard rankings. Tomorrow we’ll finish up the positions with our top ten point guards. Then we will move on to Rookie of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and MVP!
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