Professional Career
Butler was selected 30th overall in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls, and played off the bench for all of his rookie year.
During the 2012 NBA Summer League, Butler averaged 20.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Still, he saw little playing time for the first part of the season. When Butler's teammate Luol Deng, the NBA's leader that year in minutes per game, suffered an injury prior to a January 19 game vs. the Memphis Grizzlies, Butler was finally able to start, and played a full 48 minutes in his first NBA start, scoring 18 points with 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. He continued to play at least 40 minutes in the Bulls' next four games, with 43, 46, 44, and 45 minutes played against the Lakers, Pistons, Warriors, and Wizards, respectively. On April 9, 2013, Butler scored a career-high 28 points starting in place of the injured Deng in a loss to the Toronto Raptors. By the end of the 2012-13 season, Butler had become a staple of the Bulls' rotation, averaging 40.8 MPG in the postseason in just his second year in the NBA.
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