PHILADELPHIA – The tunnel from the visiting locker room to the court was hazardous, with condensation and moisture from a hockey game played earlier on Friday at Wells Fargo Center. Dwyane Wade decided the best way to avoid slipping and sliding was to straddle closely to the wall, tiptoeing around the wet spots. Jimmy Butler was closely behind, mimicking Wade’s every delicate move.

Arena workers eventually came to the rescue and tossed large mats along the pathway. Wade lunged from the wall and hopped onto the mat. Then Butler made the same leap and jogged behind Wade to the court for their pregame shooting routine. Butler didn’t necessarily need Wade around to show him how to evade the slippery surface. But since Wade was already there to lead the way, it certainly didn’t hurt to follow.

Having a legend who authored a Hall of Fame career through will and an overachieving spirit has benefited Butler in ways that weren’t obvious when the Chicago Bulls decided to bring Wade home. Beginning with his statement at his introductory news conference that the Bulls were “Jimmy’s team,” Wade has ensured that his presence wouldn’t eclipse the franchise’s foundational piece, despite both playing the same position and being accustomed to dominating the ball. And, from minor details such as sidestepping slippery surfaces to navigating more troubling waters such as the burden of leadership, Wade has given Butler the encouragement and support he’s needed while freeing him to flourish. That has contributed to a better, more efficient Butler, who is making his case as the Eastern Conference’s second-best player.

“The league is on notice. Everybody is on notice that Jimmy Butler is a player,” Wade told The Vertical. “What everyone is seeing this year, I think everyone has been a little surprised, but we all knew he could play. You’ve seen the potential. Obviously, he’s been an All-Star the last two years, he’s averaged over 20 [points] a game, but what he’s doing nightly now, on both ends of the floor, he’s a complete player. And it’s for real. It’s not one week of doing it. He’s been doing it all season, and I don’t see him slowing down, so …”

Butler has always been a player whose game exceeded what anyone expected. He wasn’t heavily recruited coming out of high school, wasn’t projected to be a star as the last player taken in the first round out of Marquette in 2011 and wasn’t viewed as much more than a tenacious defender early in his career in Chicago. But he comes back each season with more wrinkles to his game, collecting All-Star appearances and burying criticism of his limitations along the way.

Now in his sixth season, Butler is in complete control, dropping one-legged fadeaways, slashing and finishing with unanticipated bank shots, getting to the foul line and hitting three-pointers. A summer spent playing and practicing with some of the league’s best players as a member of the gold medal-winning Olympic team in Brazil amplified Butler’s belief in what he could accomplish on a team built around him.

Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler have hit it off in Chicago. (AP) More

“My confidence comes from my work, not from being around those guys [at the Olympics],” Butler told The Vertical. “But, I will say that being around those guys showed me how they work. They’re working incredibly hard, too. And the reason they are the way they are is the way they work, how hard they work and they go about it. I already had that, but now I know for certain that when you work this type of way, every single day, this is what happens. You become an NBA champion. You’ll be an Olympic gold medalist. You’ll be a prime-time player in this league. That’s all I’m trying to do. Just show what I’m capable of.”

Never an explosive athlete, Butler, averaging 25.8 points on 49 percent shooting, can get to the rack with the best of them. Not the highest flyer, Butler can usually sneak in for a lob dunk or two. Any flaws in his game, Butler has found a way to compensate with an exhaustive, relentless work ethic. The Bulls have been one of the league’s pleasant surprises through the first month of the season because a pairing that appeared problematic is working in ways few could’ve expected. Butler and Wade, two players who excel finishing at the rim and in midrange, have both found surprising comfort beyond the three-point line, shooting 42.6 and 38.5 percent, respectively.

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