Bulls' Jimmy Butler Named All-Star Starter
By Cody Westerlund--
(CBS) Bulls wing Jimmy Butler's ascension to an elite level this season has earned him another of the game's highest honors.
Butler has been named an All-Star starter for the Eastern Conference, the NBA revealed Thursday evening. His honor came via the vote of fans (weighted 50 percent), players (25 percent) and media members (25 percent). Butler was fifth in fan voting among the East frontcourt but was elevated to a starting spot by finishing third in player voting and third in media voting.
This marks the third straight season Butler has been named an All-Star and the first time he starts. He went to the All-Star weekend festivities in 2016 but didn't participate in the game as he recovered from a knee injury.
The 27-year-old Butler is averaging a career-high 24.8 points, which is tied for 10th-most in the NBA entering play Thursday. He's also posting career-highs of 6.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists.
"Jimmy, he does everything," Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said recently. "The thing that's most overlooked with Jimmy, I think we've talked about this a lot, a lot of those guys that are putting up these types of numbers are not guarding the other team's best player. Jimmy goes out every night and takes pride in that role. That's what makes him one of the top players in this league."
Butler has become one of the best rim attackers in the league, as he ranks third in made free throws at 8.4 per game. Butler is also third in the league in Real Plus-Minus, an advanced statistic from ESPN that estimates a player's on-court impact on team performance by using point differential.
"You can put Jimmy up with the superstars in this league and put him in that category," Hoiberg said. "There's no doubt about that."
Butler is joined by Cleveland's LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo and Toronto's DeMar DeRozan as the East starters.
Golden State's Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, Houston's James Harden, San Antonio's Kawhi Leonard and New Orleans' Anthony Davis were named the West starters.
All-Star reserves will be announced next Thursday after being chosen by head coaches. The Bulls' Dwyane Wade still has a chance to make the squad as well. He was second in the fan voting but didn't make the starting cut because he was sixth in the player voting and sixth in the media voting.
The All-Star Game is Feb. 19 in New Orleans.