Ever since the Bulls missed the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons a few months ago, guard Jimmy Butler has found himself among some of the heaviest criticizers of his career.

The Bulls 26-year-old leading scorer found himself dealing with some locker room conflict in the beginning of the season. There was an incident in which he and head coach Fred Holberg didn't exactly see eye-to-eye (which has since been repaired). There have since been a few players on the Bulls who were aggravated with Butler receiving special treatment from the front office.

Fred Hoiberg, Jimmy Butler
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Doug McDermott has since come to Butler's defense saying that the Bulls guard has done a lot for the second-year forward. McDermott told Joe Crowley of the Chicago Sun Times the following in an interview:

“I haven't been in Chicago that long, so I only know Jimmy how he's been the last two years. He's really good with us young guys. He's always trying to make us better and I think that shows a lot that he's inviting guys like myself, Bobby [Portis], Tony [Snell] to come work out with him.

“I try and stay out of that other stuff. I know he's been criticized, and I know a lot of guys have been criticized after the season we had. That's just the way it is these days. But I think Jimmy has been great for me and I don't have one bad word to say about him. He's done a lot for me that I wouldn't have expected coming into Chicago and this league. I think there are just a lot of things going on.”

Getty Images
Getty Images

In the 2015-16 season, Butler averaged 36.9 MPG, 20.9 PPG, and 4.8 APG along with a .454 FG%.

All stats courtesy of ESPN.com

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