No. 10 – Jimmy Butler
This ranking feels about spot-on.
Butler has often been described as a top 10 to 12 player in the league, and sitting right at No. 10 is probably the exact right spot for Jimmy G.
Here’s what SI.com’s Ben Golliver had to say about Butler, in part:
"In terms of measurable impact, few superstars have rivaled Butler in recent years: he ranked fourth in Real Plus-Minus, he played a leading role in lifting Minnesota’s offensive rating to fourth in the NBA, his presence on the court swung Minnesota’s net rating by a whopping 12.8 points, and his team nearly fell to pieces when he missed more than a month with a late-season knee injury. … His methods work—to a point. With Butler on the court, the Timberwolves were tracking to the West’s No. 3 seed, going 37-22 (a 51-win clip). Without him, they went 10-13 (a 36-win pace) and certainly would have been lottery-bound."
Golliver goes on to note that Butler’s borderline-reckless style of play is partly responsible for the injuries that cause him to miss a handful of games each season, and that his no-holds-barred method of leadership is abrasive to some teammates and coaches alike.
But Butler wins, and it’s undeniable that the Wolves were better with him in 2017-18 than they were without him in 2016-17 — 16 games better, in fact.
With Butler set to hit free agency in the summer of 2019 and a max contract extension on the table for Karl-Anthony Towns, it will be intriguing to see how the next few months play out. Will Towns sign and Butler leave? Will the pair of All-Stars come to an understanding and re-sign together, ready to lead the Wolves into true championship contention.
At any rate, Butler was ranked one spot ahead of OKC’s Paul George at No. 11, and two ahead of Kawhi Leonard (No. 12). He was just behind the aforementioned Emiid at No. 9, Chris Paul at No. 8, Russell Westbrook (No. 7), and Giannis Antetokounmpo (No. 6).
All things considered, these rankings seemed fair. Gibson could have been a bit higher, Wiggins a bit lower, and Towns probably should have been a spot or two ahead of Jokic.
But the range on Teague, Towns, and Butler was accurate, and at the end of the day, having all five starters land in the top 83 players in the NBA should all but guarantee a playoff spot.