2011 NBA Re-draft: Would Jimmy Butler, Former 30th Pick, Go No. 1?
The 2023 NBA Finals features a pair of superstars who slipped much further in the draft than they should've: Jimmy Butler and Nikola Jokić.
In 2011, Butler was the 30th and final pick of the first round. Three years later, Jokić was selected in the second round, with the 41st pick and famously during a Taco Bell commercial.
If either of those years were re-drafted, the order would obviously be a lot different. Here, we'll look specifically at Butler's year.
With the benefit of hindsight, statistics and knowledge of trends in the game that no one had 13 years ago, we'll revisit the lottery and a handful of honorable mentions.
Honorable Mentions
1 of 13
Markieff Morris (Originally Picked 13th)
Markieff Morris has a career double-figure scoring average, but he'd never be mistaken for a playmaker, and his career shooting efficiency is well below average.
Tristan Thompson (Originally Picked 4th)
At his peak, Tristan Thompson was a dominant rebounder (particularly on the offensive side of the floor) and a passable rim protector who won a championship in 2016.
Reggie Jackson (Originally Picked 24th)
In his early years, Reggie Jackson was a long, dynamic slasher who could get to the paint. Later on, for a few years with the Los Angeles Clippers, he became a reliable three-point shooter. Both of those things never really came together at the same time for him.
Chandler Parsons (Originally Picked 38th)
Injuries robbed Chandler Parsons of what appeared to be a pretty solid run as a point forward. In 2013-14, he averaged 16.6 points and 4.0 assists, while shooting 37.0 percent from deep.
Kenneth Faried (Originally Picked 22nd)
For a few years with the Denver Nuggets, Kenneth Faried played like the quintessential hustle big. His finishes were often spectacular, but an inability to score outside the paint or spread numbers throughout the rest of the box score limited his impact.
Dāvis Bertāns (Originally Picked 42nd)
He's become a bit of a punchline due to a big contract signed in 2020, but Dāvis Bertāns can be a heck of a weapon in the right circumstance. Stephen Curry, Buddy Hield and Duncan Robinson are the only players in league history who match or exceed both of Bertāns' career marks for three-point percentage and three-point attempts per possession.
Picks 14-11
2 of 13
14. Nikola Mirotić (Originally Picked 23rd)
Nikola Mirotić is back playing overseas, but he certainly wasn't forced out of the NBA. Over his last two seasons in the league, he averaged 15.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.5 threes, while shooting 37.1 percent from deep. He had solid block and steal rates for a player of his role and position too.
In today's NBA, Mirotić could be a heck of a small-ball 5, with his ability to spread the floor and occasionally attack off the bounce.
13. Enes Freedom (Originally Picked 3rd)
Much was made of Enes Freedom's defense (or lack thereof) throughout his career, but he was always productive (he's eighth all time in career rebounding percentage and top 150 in career points per possession), and his teams were better with him on the floor in each of his last three seasons.
Freedom is still only 31 years old. A team in need of a scoring punch off the bench might be wise to give him a look.
12. Marcus Morris (Originally Picked 14th)
A bit more prolific and accurate than his brother, Marcus Morris has had staying power in the NBA as a multipositional defender who's been above average as a three-point shooter for the overwhelming majority of his career.
What holds him back is the lack of contributions outside the scoring column.
11. Alec Burks (Originally Picked 12th)
It took him a while to find his niche, but Alec Burks has quietly been one of the game's better reserve combo guards over the last four seasons.
Over that stretch, he's averaging 13.0 points, 2.6 assists and 1.9 threes in just 26.1 minutes, while shooting 40.3 percent from deep.
10. Bojan Bogdanović
3 of 13
Originally Picked 31st
Bojan Bogdanović played three seasons in Turkey after he was drafted in 2011. And he was relatively quiet for his first few campaigns in the NBA.
But once he found the right role, Bogdanović was one of the game's more dangerous outside shooters.
Over the last five years, he's averaged 18.8 points and 2.5 threes, while shooting 40.4 percent from deep. And his quick trigger and high release make him an excellent catch-and-shoot option for slashing guards looking for a release valve.
Whether now, 2011 or really any era beforehand, Bogdanović's game does and would've worked just fine. Shooting is the game's most important and portable skill, and he brings plenty of it.
9. Tobias Harris
4 of 13
Originally Picked 19th
Tobias Harris has spent much of his career as a journeyman, but he produced just about everywhere he went.
None of his numbers leap off the screen, but he's just been solid in several categories for a decade now.
And if you isolate it just to his peak, it's not hard to see how he rose into the top 10 for the re-draft.
For five seasons from 2017-18 to 2021-22, Harris averaged 19.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.8 threes, while shooting 38.9 percent from deep.
Plus, he has the size (6'8" with a 6'11" wingspan) to play either forward position.
As a third or fourth option, teams could do a lot worse than Harris.
8. Isaiah Thomas
5 of 13
Originally Picked 60th
Injuries shortened Isaiah Thomas' peak, but few players in this draft class can match what he did during the 2016-17 season.
That year, IT averaged 28.9 points, 5.9 assists and 3.2 threes, while shooting 37.9 percent from three. His offensive box plus/minus from that campaign is top 40 all time for a single year. And he finished fifth in MVP voting.
Yes, even when fully healthy, the 5'9" Thomas presented defensive challenges to his own team that few others players in the league did. But that kind of offensive production more than made up for his deficiencies.
Over the first six years of his career, Thomas' teams were plus-1.4 points per 100 possessions when he was on the floor and minus-4.0 when he was off.
7. Kemba Walker
6 of 13
Originally Picked 9th
Another small guard who appears to be done in the NBA, Kemba Walker's peak wasn't quite as high as Thomas', but it did last a bit longer.
Over a nine-year stretch from 2012-13 to 2020-21, Walker averaged 20.7 points, 5.5 assists and 2.4 threes, while shooting 36.3 percent from deep for the Charlotte Hornets (and Bobcats) and Boston Celtics.
During the same years, his teams were plus-0.8 points per 100 possessions with Kemba in the game and minus-4.5 without him.
Walker's dynamic crossover and pull-up shooting made him one of the game's more exciting guards for over a decade.
And while he too presents some defensive challenges, surrounding him with enough grit and defense could've allowed him to pilot a contender. He got closest to that with the 2019-20 Celtics, who made the Eastern Conference Finals.
6. Jonas Valančiūnas
7 of 13
Originally Picked 5th
Having Jonas Valančiūnas ahead of Isaiah Thomas and Kemba Walker might come as a bit of a shock. The two diminutive guards undoubtedly reached loftier peaks than the big man, but their health concerns held them back.
Valančiūnas, despite never making an All-Star or All-NBA team and never averaging more than 17.8 points, has been one of the game's steadier and more durable centers for a decade.
He's averaged a double-double in each of the last four seasons. And over the course of his career, only four players have collected more total rebounds (one of whom is still coming up in this re-draft).
While the concerns of crafting a modern defense around an old-school, sometimes lumbering big might come with taking Valančiūnas, his teams have been better when he plays for half a decade.
5. Nikola Vučević
8 of 13
Originally Picked 16th
Another center who can do plenty of damage out of traditional post-ups, Nikola Vučević is one spot higher than Valančiūnas for a few reasons.
First, he's put up his numbers as a No. 1 option for a playoff team. In 2018-19 and 2019-20, he put up 20.3 points and 11.5 rebounds. The Orlando Magic made the postseason after both of those campaigns.
He's also more of a playmaker than Valančiūnas (and really most bigs). Vučević has averaged at least three assists in each of his last six seasons.
And finally, though Valančiūnas' three-point percentage is slightly better (35.7 percent compared to 34.8), Vučević's mark comes on much greater volume (1,943 to 541 attempts).
Just for good measure, the versatility of Vučević is also worth mentioning. He's one of just 13 players in NBA history with at least 15,000 minutes and averages of at least one three, one steal and one block per 75 possessions.
4. Kyrie Irving
9 of 13
Originally Picked 1st
Availability has been a major concern for Kyrie Irving. And that didn't just come up in the last few years.
He's only averaged 40.8 games per season over the last four, but the number isn't much higher for his entire career. Since he was drafted, he's made just 55.9 appearances per campaign.
And the wide variety of reasons for his absences would give any organization pause. He can seemingly miss any game at a moment's notice.
But when he is in action, few players are as dazzling on offense as Kyrie.
From the endless trove of ball-handling moves to his pull-up jumper to a flashy set of finishing moves inside, Irving has a game that will always impress fellow hoopers.
And that game has led to stellar individual numbers. For his career, Kyrie has averaged 23.4 points and 5.7 assists, while shooting 51.1 percent on two-pointers, 39.1 percent on threes and 88.5 percent from the free-throw line. Stephen Curry is the only player in NBA history to match or exceed all of those marks.
3. Klay Thompson
10 of 13
Originally Picked 11th
There's certainly a temptation to have Irving in this spot. At first glance, he seems more like a No. 1 option. And his ability to create for himself and others carries immense value.
But over the course of his career, we've learned that he's really a No. 2 who's often masqueraded as a No. 1. His lone title came in 2016, as a teammate of LeBron James. And when he's been cast as the main guy, the results have been turbulent, at best.
Klay Thompson, meanwhile, has never given the impression that he'll rock the boat. He's gladly accepted his role alongside Stephen Curry and Draymond Green (and for a couple years, Kevin Durant). And he's thrived in it.
Thompson is one of the game's ultimate complementary scorers. He doesn't pound the ball. He doesn't take a ton of possessions from his teammates. He just takes on some of the opponents' toughest defensive challenges and launches open threes when he gets them.
And his approach has made him a four-time champion and one of the greatest and most prolific three-point shooters in NBA history.
Because he's bigger and has a more portable game, Thompson gets the slight nod over Kyrie.
2. Jimmy Butler
11 of 13
Originally Picked 30th
Jimmy Butler had already smashed his draft position before he joined the Miami Heat ahead of the 2019-20 season, but what he's done there makes him a top-two pick in the re-draft.
Over the course of his four seasons with Miami, Butler has averaged 21.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.8 steals, with a 60.9 true shooting percentage. But of course, that doesn't begin to tell the whole story.
Playoff Jimmy is who really pushes him up this imaginary draft board. Few players elevate their games for the postseason in more thorough and electrifying fashion.
The Heat have made the playoffs every year since Butler arrived. They've made three conference finals, and they're currently playing in their second Finals.
With his relentless competitiveness, defense and shotmaking, Butler has completely flummoxed a number of opponents that were supposed to beat him. This postseason alone, as the No. 8 seed, he upset the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks and the No. 2 Boston Celtics.
There's maybe an argument that Butler doesn't become the player he is without going to a competitive team like the Chicago Bulls and making a few other stops before landing in Miami, but I'd happily bet on his determination from any draft slot.
1. Kawhi Leonard
12 of 13
Originally Picked 15th
As good as Butler is, and as tenuous as Kawhi Leonard's health has been, the former still secures the top spot here because of the peaks he's reached, particularly in the playoffs.
Even with all the injuries, Leonard has made seven All-Defense teams and five All-NBA teams. He's won two Defensive Player of the Year awards and is one of just 12 players in NBA history to secure multiple Finals MVPs.
In 2019, at the end of his lone campaign with the Toronto Raptors, Kawhi authored a postseason run that brought a feeling of inevitability similar to the one that used to trail Michael Jordan.
During those playoffs, he averaged 30.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.3 threes, while shooting 37.9 percent from deep.
Even if a team knew it was signing up for the health issues that Leonard has had, it would do so in exchange for a playoff run like that and 2014, when Kawhi averaged 17.8 points and shot 57.9 percent from three on the way to his first Finals MVP.
Original Lottery
13 of 13
1. Cleveland Cavaliers: Kyrie Irving
2. Minnesota Timberwolves: Derrick Williams
3. Utah Jazz: Enes Freedom
4. Cleveland Cavaliers: Tristan Thompson
5. Toronto Raptors: Jonas Valančiūnas
6. Washington Wizards: Jan Vesely
7. Sacramento Kings (trade to CHA): Bismack Biyombo
8. Detroit Pistons: Brandon Knight
9. Charlotte Bobcats: Kemba Walker
10. Milwaukee Bucks (trade to SAC): Jimmer Fredette
11. Golden State Warriors: Klay Thompson
12. Utah Jazz: Alec Burks
13. Phoenix Suns: Markieff Morris
14. Houston Rockets: Marcus Morris
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "EDGE-Rush Duos Power Rankings 📊")
.jpg?w=600 "Mendoza Impressing at Minicamp")
.jpg?w=600 "QBs Under Most Pressure ♨️")