Dwyane Wade On Jimmy Butler: 'Taking That Next Step To Stardom'
By Cody Westerlund--
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Veteran Bulls guard Dwyane Wade offered the comment seconds after cracking a smile, his assessment of All-Star teammate Jimmy Butler's monster game Saturday night at the United Center surely informed by his own glory days in his prime.
"That's what you do when you're 27 years old," Wade said.
It was a reference to Butler's tone-setting leadership in a 106-95 win against the Wizards and also a stat line rarely seen in franchise history: 37 points, eight rebounds and nine assists. Butler became only the third player in Bulls history to record a 37-8-9 line, joining Michael Jordan (13 instances) and Scottie Pippen (twice).
"He's leading us, man," Wade said. "He's doing what me and (Rajon) Rondo came here for him to do -- that's to really turn into a premier, premier player in this league, above just an All-Star. He's really done it this last week. He's really been doing everything. He's defending the other team's best guy, he's rebounding, he's passing, he's scoring, he's being aggressive."
It was earlier Saturday that Butler, in an open-ended conversation, proclaimed, "I don't believe in statistics." He spoke in the context of judging players by the winning plays they make, not the numbers they record.
In the evening, Butler checked both of those boxes. His 37 points were scored on 11-of-23 shooting (1-of-3 on 3-pointers) and a 14-of-14 showing at the free-throw line that reflected his aggressiveness. His nine assists came against just two turnovers, and he added three steals in a team-high 38 minutes.
Past that, what lingered in the minds of the Bulls was how Butler asserted himself on a night they struggled early against an undermanned Wizards team that was missing star guards John Wall and Bradley Beal. What could've been a bad loss before a tough six-game road trip for Chicago turned into a glimpse into Butler's maturation.
"Jimmy was unbelievable," coach Fred Hoiberg said.
"If he's got it going, we find a way to put the ball in his hands and let him go out and make plays. He's done a phenomenal job of that this year. Especially when he gets it going, we're going to ride him."
Butler's now averaging a team-high 24.3 points on 48 percent shooting this season through 10 games, adding 5.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists. Wade credited Butler's basketball studies for his continued development, pointing out Butler watches nearly as much film as the coaches and often asks him about different manners to get shots off that can lead to better efficiency.
"It's just about him now understanding how good he is and really taking that next step to stardom," Wade said.
"Right now, he's only scratching the surface. He's starting to see, (to be) this Jimmy right here, it's hard. It's not going to easy. He's not just going to walk out and get those numbers. He's going to be tired at the end of the night, but he can do that on a consistent basis, and once he starts seeing, he knows we have his back. And the nights he doesn't have it, we're going to have to pick him up.
"He's leading us."
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for CBSChicago.com and coversthe Bulls. He's also the co-host of the @LockedOnBulls podcast, which you can subscribe to on iTunes and Stitcher. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.
