NBA 2014-15 Mid-Season Award Winners

Dec 14, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (21) during the second half against the Chicago Bulls at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Most Improved Player: Jimmy Butler (Chicago Bulls)

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Pippen Ain't Easy

Just a few short years ago, Luol Deng stood firmly cemented as the Chicago Bulls’ premier wing player on both ends of the court. The development of one, Jimmy Butler, however eventually led to the team parting ways with their long time cornerstone.

Butler has continued to improve and hone his craft both on the defensive end where he has been known to thrive, and on the offensive side where he’s expanded his game. He’s taken on a substantial role this season as Derrick Rose has returned to action but not quite to MVP-form.

In the first half of the 2014-15 campaign, Jimmy Butler’s stellar play has earned him his first career All-Star nod. 20.5 points per game this season is a career-high for the former 30th overall pick of the 2011 NBA Draft, which is seven more than he averaged last season. He’s scoring efficiently too, shooting a resounding 45 percent from the field and 33 percent from beyond the arc.

Runner Up: Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz)

At the moment, the Utah Jazz stand as a team with several young players who have certainly proven that they could generate quite a bit of excitement for the organization. One of those young players is second year center, Rudy Gobert.

His per-36 stats thus far this season shows his potential to be a nightly double-double threat as he works his way into more minutes with the squad. According to those stats, he’d be averaging 11.5 points and 12.1 rebounds per game if he played typical starter minutes for the Jazz. Their frontcourt currently features Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors, but should either go down for a lengthy period or be moved else where, look for Gobert to make a statement.

Next: Rookie of the Year