The ascension of Jimmy Butler at two-guard for the Chicago Bulls earned them merits for arguably the best backcourt in the NBA alongside a healthy Derrick Rose. Butler polished his game into a formidable offensive weapon while still making a hardy defensive impact, which made the Bulls much more threatening. As a result, it reached the point where it became reasonable to ask who was the primary option for the Bulls between Butler and Rose.
Butler, who was named Most Improved Player this past season after leading the Bulls in scoring at 20 points per game, officially re-signed on a five-year deal to stay in Chicago on Thursday. At his press conference, Butler took time to address his relationship with his point guard.
via Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times:
“I think we play well on the court together,’’ Butler said, when asked to describe the relationship between the two on and off the court. “With the more time that we’re out there we’ll definitely get better at it. Off the floor, I mean he has a son, so he has a family that he has to take care of. I’m with my brothers a lot of the time, but I mean when we have a chance we’ll hang around each other, but I feel like we spend enough time together on the court. I think when you’re off the court then you go your separate ways a little bit.’’
Butler and Rose’s relationship is probably fine off the court and on, but there definitely has to be a new kind of chemistry developed now that Butler has come into a new confidence. With a new head coach in Fred Hoiberg who is bringing more offensive-mentality basketball to the Bulls, Butler sees things meshing even better with Rose:
“I think we can play well off of each other well, especially with the offense that we’re going to be running now,’’ Butler said. “We can both get out in transition, we can both score, and we can both get the ball to the open guy. I think that’s what team players do. [Rose is] really good at that. I think I’m pretty good at it too. I like our chances of being one of the best backcourts.’’
Again, there is new chemistry to be established. Rose should now be more used to Butler’s individual ability, which isn’t to say he has to formally give up the reigns of the team, but he has to give way to that balance. Butler is now the kind of guy who needs and deserves his touches, but the Bulls still need to have both confident and in unison to be successful. There’s also the chemistry with Hoiberg to consider for this backcourt and the whole team.
The dynamic between Rose and Butler will continue to evolve topically through next season.
