Minnesota Timberwolves: 2017-18 player grades for Jimmy Butler

Strengths

There were a lot strengths this season for Butler. One of those strengths happened to be getting Minnesota wins. Butler finished the season with 8.9 win shares. That number is a little deceiving  because he went down with an injury, which caused that number to be lower than what it should have been.

Despite missing 23 games, he still finished 20th in the NBA in the win share department. The most important game of the season was game 82. This was the game in which the Wolves took on the Denver Nuggets in a win-or-go-home situation.

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Butler finished with 31 points, five rebounds, five assists, one block and one steal in the playoff-clinching game. There were many games in which he stepped up big for the Wolves, but that one really stands out considering the stakes.

When Butler was healthy and played, the Wolves were 37-22. Without him, they were 10-13. Anytime you lose a key player in your lineup, you’re going to struggle to win games — especially when Tom Thibodeau is hesitant to play his bench.

Getting Butler back before the season ended proved to be valuable in getting the Wolves into the playoffs. Even though they were knocked out in the first round, they still have a lot to hang their hats on and hopefully build on that going into next year.