Los Angeles Lakers: 4 best free agent options after Anthony Davis trade
3. Jimmy Butler
Jimmy Butler was arguably the best defensive shooting guard in the NBA during the 2018-2019 season.
Butler ranked 1st out of all shooting guards in the NBA in ESPN’s defensive real plus-minus at 2.14.
He also held his assignments on defense to four percentage points lower than their average shooting mark while on the 76ers during the regular season, but throughout the playoffs, Jimmy Butler stepped up his defensive intensity and made the player he was guarding shoot 8.2 percent lower than his average.
At 6’8″, 232 pounds, Jimmy Butler has the size and strength to lock down the opposing team’s best perimeter player. If the Lakers are going to make it through the Western Conference playoffs, it would be a tremendous boon to have a player who can slow down the likes of Stephen Curry, James Harden, Damian Lillard, and Paul George.
On offense, Jimmy Butler isn’t a great fit with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, because he’s only a career 34% 3-point shooter, which means he wouldn’t be able to spread the floor successfully for LeBron James and Anthony Davis to run pick and rolls.
Butler prefers to have the ball in his hands on offense, but last season he wasn’t very effective as the pick roll ball handler (0.84 ppp, 54th percentile).
Jimmy Butler was better out of isolation sets last season converting at a rate of 0.99 per possession, good for the 76th percentile in the NBA.
If teams decide to send an extra defender at LeBron James and Anthony Davis to disrupt their pick and roll action, they won’t be able to sag off Jimmy Butler as he waits beyond the arc. If his 3-point shot isn’t falling he can still be very effective working with space in one-on-one situations.
In the end, it might take LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Jimmy Butler some time to figure things out on offense, because their skill sets aren’t a perfect match. With that said, all three are very talented players, who’d certainly learn how to score off of each other as the season progresses.
The best teams in the NBA build rosters stocked full of two-way players with length and speed. Jimmy Butler is a better option than Kemba Walker because he’s great on offense and defense.