Article this morning on Marquette forward Jimmy Butler and his increased playing time due to him doing the dirty work for his team. He's listed at 6 feet 6 inches and 215 pounds, but both are probably a bit generous. He's not overly muscular, and isn't known for jumping out of the gym.Yet every game he seems to be worming his way through a gap to grab a loose ball, or using good timing to tip an offensive board back to himself to keep a possession alive.
"He's stepping up and playing quality minutes, and he's providing something off the bench that nobody else can do: getting rebounds, playing great defense and knocking down open shots."
Earning more playing time has been no accident; Butler's insistence on playing his role and sticking to his strengths is what has endeared him to head coach Buzz Williams.
"The best thing about Jimmy is he knows exactly what he can do, and you rarely see him get out of it," Williams said. "He's really created a niche, and he's creating great trust in his teammates."
Butler's knack for snaring offensive rebounds has been especially impressive. Through 25 games, 52.6% of his boards have come on the offensive end (41 of 78). The result is often either a putback or free throws, and he's making 73.2% of those this season.
When asked about his penchant for rebounding on that end of the floor, Butler mentions coaching, film study, instinct and good old-fashioned hard work both in the weight room and in the practice gym.
"When it goes up, you just chase after it, and hopefully you come out with it," he said. "They give you statistics - where they shoot the ball and where it's going to normally come off, and you can usually tell if it's going to be long or short. And wherever I see Lazar, I'll take him getting a rebound in his area any day, so I'm usually going to the opposite area.
"Plus, I know my team, and I know who's shooting the ball, and when."
Butler's offensive game, meanwhile, remains a work in progress. Yet he has taken focus to a whole new level as far as knowing where his strengths lie.
Of his 110 points this season (average of 4.4 per game), 104 have come either in the lane or at the free-throw line. He remains capable of knocking down a pull-up jumper every now and again, as he did Saturday, but with McNeal, Matthews and Hayward handling most of the scoring, Butler is more than content to continue to do the dirty work.
"That's what I've got to do," he said. "That's what everybody's telling me I've got to do, so that's what I'm going to go out there and do. I just hope to keep that up."
