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Mid-Week Matchup: Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Portland Trail Blazers

By Max Neuhaus

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - NOBEMBER 1: Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers handles the ball against the Utah Jazz on November 1, 2017 at vivint.SmartHome Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - NOBEMBER 1: Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers handles the ball against the Utah Jazz on November 1, 2017 at vivint.SmartHome Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 1: C.J. McCollum #3 of the Portland Trail Blazers handles the ball against the New York Knicks on March 1, 2016 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 1: C.J. McCollum #3 of the Portland Trail Blazers handles the ball against the New York Knicks on March 1, 2016 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Shooting Guard: Jimmy Butler vs. C.J. McCollum

You wanna know how important Jimmy Butler is to the Minnesota Timberwolves? Look no further than their first two matchups against Eastern Conference teams.

With Butler sidelined with an upper respiratory infection, the Wolves looked horrible. Their shots weren’t falling and they were giving up points way too easily. They gave up 130 to the Indiana Pacers and 122 to the Detroit Pistons the very next night.

The Portland Trail Blazers have had experience without C.J. McCollum this season as well. He was suspended the first game of the season after leaving the bench during a scuffle in the preseason. The game McCollum was suspended for was the night the Blazers were playing the Phoenix Suns, and it turns out Portland didn’t need him, putting up their highest point total of the season (124).

The importance of Jimmy Buckets to the Wolves is quite evident in his plus-minus. Outside of the season opener against San Antonio, which no Timberwolves player played well in, Butler has been good. In the two most important games of the season, both against Oklahoma City, Butler posted a +10 in OKC and +11 at the Target Center. Add in his latest game against Miami, with him posting a +5, and you can tell he had a major effect on the entire Minnesota team.

McCollum has also been on the positive side of plus-minus for most of the season, even posting a massive plus-17 versus the Pelicans.

This is another example of using the eye test to see which player is more important to their team. While McCollum is a very potent scorer, the combination of Butler’s scoring, defense, and veteran leadership make him invaluable.

Advantage: Jimmy Butler

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