Jimmy Butler not only could find himself as an All-Star again this season, the 2014-15 NBA Most Improved Player could be representing the Chicago Bulls as a member of the United States Men’s National Team in the 2016 Olympics.

Ever since Jimmy Butler turned down a four-year, $44 million extension to stay with the Chicago Bulls, his life and his career has been trending upward.

Not only did Butler “bet on himself” and received a new max contract to stay in Chicago this past summer, he won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award last season and flung himself into the league-wide conversations about who is the best two-way player in the game today.

Butler received more good news on Monday morning when the finalist pool for Team USA in the 2016 Summer Olympics was announced.

Butler will join 29 other NBA stars in the pool that will determine who will make Team USA’s 12-man roster for the Olympics in Rio de Janerio next year.

For Butler to be among the 30 best American basketball players this nation has to offer is a tremendous honor, regardless if he makes the team or not.

It’s a tough team to make, that’s for sure.

Guys like LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony are seemingly locked in to make next summer’s roster in Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final go-around as head coach of Team USA.

With those three superstars alone for example, that leaves nine openings for 27 other players.

Butler certainly has a legitimate case to make the team. He’s become the centerpiece of the Bulls franchise, averaging a career-high 22.6 points per game to go along with 5.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists per contest.

It’s a tough roster to crack, but at this point in his career, it would be unwise to doubt Jimmy Butler’s ability to get things done.