The 75 greatest NBA players of the 2010s, ranked

25) Jimmy Butler

NBA star Jimmy Butler had a long path to stardom. He was the last pick in the first round of the 2011 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls. However, it took until his fourth season in the NBA for him to become a star. In 2014–15, he averaged 20 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, won Most Improved Player, made the all-star team for the time, and also made the All-Defensive second team for the second straight season.

That would begin a four-year run where Butler posted at least 20 points and 5 rebounds per game while establishing himself as one of the premier two-way wings in the NBA. Despite that, he was traded from the Bulls to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He helped lead them to their first playoff appearance in more than a decade but he lasted little more than a season before the Wolves granted Butler a trade to the Philadelphia 76ers. 

He played just 55 games for them to close out the decade before joining the Miami Heat. That decision would prove to be pivotal for both teams but it doesn't count here. Overall, Butler averaged 16.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 523 games during the 2010s for the Bulls, Wolves, and Sixers, but would be even better in the next decade.