Bulls: Jimmy Butler named NBA's Most Improved Player

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The NBA named Jimmy Butler as Most Improved Player Thursday morning, as the guard was a runaway winner of the award in his breakout season for the Bulls.

Butler received 92 of 129 first-place votes and 535 total points from sportswriters and broadcasters, more total points than the two runners-up, Golden State's Draymond Green and Utah's Rudy Gobert, who combined for 389 points.

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Butler led the Bulls in scoring with 20 points per game, 5.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.7 steals. Butler's scoring and production has increased in every season since being drafted in 2011, and his 6.9-point increase in scoring average was the best in the NBA this season.

After word began to break early in Game 2 of the Bulls-Cavaliers series, Butler was too upset with himself to reflect on the award.

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"Not too much right now. I’m focused on helping this ballclub win some games," Butler said. "I want to win this series, I want to win a championship. At the end of the season, maybe this Most Improved Player Award will mean a lot more."

 

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