Jimmy Butler’s Injury Will Crush the Wolves

Jimmy Butler’s Injury Will Crush the Wolves

February 24, 2018 Off By tailgatesports

After missing an easy layup late in the third quarter of Friday night’s game against the Houston Rockets, Jimmy Butler sprang into action. He jumped back towards the rim and ripped an offensive rebound straight from the arms of Nene, one of the strongest players in the NBA. It was the quintessential Butler play.

What happened next was not.

He collected the rebound and pivoted to his right twice. On the second pivot, he up-faked hard, slamming his right foot into the ground. He dished the ball to Taj Gibson and immediately collapsed to the hardwood. Gibson missed the layup and the Rockets pushed the ball back the other way. Everyone sprinted down the floor.

Everyone except Jimmy Butler.

 

Laying in front of the Houston bench, he clutched at his knee. He tried to stand up. Chris Paul told him to stay down. He obliged. It was a harrowing scene. Not because the injury was gruesome but because Butler is as tough as nails and because of its implications. Non-contact knee injuries are never good and this case is no different.

A meniscal injury is better than an ACL tear. That’s for sure. But with only 20 games left in the season, any sort of knee injury could prove to be a season-ender, something Minnesota can’t afford.

Through 52 games, Jimmy Butler has averaged 22.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5 assists. He leads the NBA in minutes, playing 37.1 per game and he leads the Wolves in points per game, usage rate (24.7%), field goal attempts per game (15.8), free throw attempts per game (7) and steals per game (1.9). In other words, he’s the most important player on the team.

Since trading for Butler in the offseason, the Wolves have looked like a transformed franchise. They play better offense. They play better defense. They’re tougher. They’ve embraced his style of play and it’s clearly paid dividends. He unlocked another level which both Wolves’ fans and basketball fans had been waiting to see.

He unlocked another level for Karl-Anthony Towns, too.

By taking on part of the workload, Butler has allowed Towns to evolve. His per-game averages dropped, but he’s much more efficient than he was in his first two years. This season, Towns is averaging 20.2 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists on 13.6 shots per game. He’s shooting 54.3% from the field, 42.2% from three, has a true shooting percentage of 64.6% and an effective shooting percentage of 59.8%. He leads the league in double-doubles with 52 and played in his first All-Star Game last weekend. Towns’ success in 2017-18 obviously can’t be completely attributed to Butler, but as the old saying goes: numbers never lie, and the numbers tell a story of more efficient player.

That being said, he can’t be the only one to step up in Butler’s absence. If Minnesota wants to keep their playoff hopes alive, it’s going to have to be all hands on deck. Jamal Crawford’s going to have to score more. Backup forwards Gorgui Dieng and Shabazz Muhammad are going to have to bring the defensive intensity. But more important than any backup, Andrew Wiggins has to step up.

While averaging 17.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game would usually be good enough for a third option on a playoff team, it’s not good enough for Wiggins. He was the first overall pick in 2014. He signed a five year, $145.6M contract extension this past summer. He takes the second most shots per game (15.7) and has the second highest usage rate (23.4%) on the Wolves. That type of player has to to play better. He has to shoot better because 43.9% from the field and 31.9% from three isn’t going to cut it. He has to lock in on defense because like his shooting percentages, a -1.5 defensive box plus minus just isn’t going to cut it. Not with Jimmy Butler on the shelf. It’s that simple.

Unfortunately for the Wolves as a team, however, this entire situation isn’t as simple. As of today (Saturday, February 24th), the team is 36-26. That’s good for fourth place in the Western Conference but the playoff picture is murky. From Minnesota to New Orleans, every team between fourth and eighth place in the West has 26 losses. That means that, if the Wolves were to go on a four or five game losing streak, they could find themselves on the outside looking in. And with their most important player out for an extended period of time, a couple game skid isn’t out of the question.

I’d hate to say that Jimmy Butler’s injury is a season-ruiner for Minnesota but that’s what it feels like. Even though Towns and Wiggins (along with their supporting cast) are good young players, Butler is that team’s heart and soul. Moving on without him in such a highly-contested conference will be difficult. It’s possible that they limp into the playoffs but the first round is as far as they’ll get. It wasn’t guaranteed that they’d move on with a healthy Butler, but it’s all but guaranteed they won’t get any further without him.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BfmCBijHawz/?hl=en&taken-by=jimmybutler

 

 

Written by Taylor McCloud

CategoryHome NBA