- Jason Timpf believes Jimmy Butler is the Paul Pierce of this era
- Butler and Pierce have never been viewed as the very best in the league
- Timpf thinks they were both capable of outplaying the very best on the big stage
Jimmy Butler is this era’s Paul Pierce, at least as per The Volume’s Jason Timpf. The analyst put forth an interesting argument to support his claim as he compared Butler and Pierce.
“I think Jimmy Butler is the perfect comp for Paul Pierce,” Timpf said. “I wouldn’t say he’s the Jimmy Butler of this era. I’d say Jimmy Butler is the Paul Pierce of his era, right?
Timpf says both Butler and Pierce were capable of outplaying the players considered to be the very best in the league.
“Because Paul Pierce came first and I think Paul Pierce is the better player,” Timpf continued. “But he’s another one of those guys who’s kind of a super weird archetype and was never truly considered to be on the same level as the guys at the very top of the league. But, in any one game setting against those guys, he was capable of outplaying them.”
“Jimmy Butler is the Paul Pierce of his era”
(Via @TheVolumeSports )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 25, 2023
Butler has never even come close to being viewed as the best player in the league, but he has helped knock Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jayson Tatum out of the playoffs twice.
Similarly, Pierce and the Boston Celtics knocked LeBron James out of the playoffs twice and beat Kobe Bryant in the 2008 NBA Finals.
Butler and Pierce have never been considered to be better than any of those four, but in those playoff series, they did go toe to toe with them and even outplayed them at times.
In terms of their games, however, there are some differences.
Pierce averaged 19.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game in his career. He was a great scorer and shooter but wasn’t really a great defender or playmaker.
Butler, meanwhile, has averaged 18.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game in his career. He struggles with his outside shot at times but has always been a good defender and has grown as a playmaker over the years.
Paul Pierce Named Jimmy Butler As One Of The Players Who Remind Him Of Himself
Interestingly, Timpf isn’t the only one who seems some similarities. Pierce once stated that Jimmy Butler, Jayson Tatum, and Luka Doncic remind him of himself.
Pierce felt he brought “Killer Toughness” to the court night in and night out, something he believes Butler does too.
The one big difference, though, between the two apart from their games is the fact that Butler hasn’t won a ring. Like Pierce, he made two trips to the NBA Finals, in 2020 and 2023, but lost both of them.
Butler said he will win an NBA championship with the Miami Heat, but time is starting to run out for the 33-year-old.
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