Is Chicago Bulls' Butler second-best player in the East?

Chicago Bulls forward Jimmy Butler, left, reacts after scoring the game winning basket against the Brooklyn Nets at the end of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2016, in Chicago. Chicago won 101-99.

An interesting question was posed recently:

Is Jimmy Butler the second-best player in the Eastern Conference (after LeBron James, obviously)?

Some NBA analysts say yes, and it's a compelling comparison.

Butler, of course, is looking good after scoring 40 points and hitting his first game-winner at the buzzer Wednesday against Brooklyn.

What makes this question difficult is Butler's defensive talents. He's one of the few players in the NBA who is asked to take on the toughest defensive assignment all game long.

Butler had a strenuous holiday weekend, having to match up against San Antonio's Kawhi Leonard on Sunday, then Indiana's Paul George on Monday.

Butler's offense suffered in those games. He shot 35 percent from the field and averaged 17.5 points, which isn't terrible, and he outscored George 16-14.

"He's got a heck of a responsibility, every night, guarding the other team's best player on the perimeter," Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said Thursday at the Advocate Center.

"It takes a lot out of you. He plays a lot of minutes and carries the load for us on the offensive end a lot of nights as well. Two-way players are rare in this league, and we're very fortunate to have one of the best ones in our game."

Leonard probably has Butler beat in the two-way player category. James is in a class by himself, although he often waits until the end of games to take on the toughest defensive assignments.

If you're trying to name the second-best player in the Eastern Conference, here are six nominees: Butler, Toronto's DeMar DeRozan, Boston's Isaiah Thomas, Washington's John Wall, Cleveland's Kyrie Irving and Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo.

A couple of centers, Detroit's Andre Drummond and Miami's Hassan Whiteside, don't make the cut, though they easily could make an All-NBA team this season. Call Cleveland forward Kevin Love an honorable mention.

Here's one way to sort them out, take six categories -- points, assists, rebounds, field-goal percentage, 3-point percentage and made free throws -- and rank the nominees one through six.

In that criteria, Butler finishes first, followed by Antetokunmpo, a tie between DeRozan and Wall, then Thomas and Irving.

Irving probably is the best clutch shooter in that group, but his defense is considered a weakness and he doesn't have the all-around numbers to win this argument.

Using ESPN's PER ratings, which combine a number of stat categories, Antetokounmpo ranks first in this group, followed by Butler, Thomas, DeRozan, Wall and Irving.

If defense is the final criterion, it's easy to declare Butler the second-best player in the East. But Antetokounmpo's versatility and DeRozan's team success make it a close call.

DeRozan's Raptors were 22-9, just 1½ games behind Cleveland as of Thursday morning. Wall could state his case if he and backcourt mate Bradley Beal stay healthy for a while.

Even though Brooklyn is one the worst teams in the East, the Bulls have reason to be encouraged by Butler's performance. The Bulls got off to a poor start, trailed most of the game and lost Dwyane Wade late to a migraine.

Butler recognized the dilemma and started attacking the basket with ferocity in the third quarter. He ended up scoring 27 points in the second half while hitting 9 of 14 shots.

Butler ranks first in the East in free-throw attempts per game at 9.1.

"He was phenomenal, obviously," Hoiberg said after the game. "He put the team on his shoulder. He willed them to the finish line."

This debate will continue. Butler's next two games are against George on Friday at Indiana, then Antetokounmpo and the Bucks return to the United Center on Saturday.

Next week brings a trip to Cleveland, followed by the first matchup this season with DeRozan on Jan. 7 at the UC.

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