Following a thrilling finish to the All-Star Game, there were some notable takeaways from the contest. One of which was that Minnesota Timberwolves star Jimmy Butler was the only player who did not take the floor. According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, Butler had a simple reason for his absence.
“Just needed rest man. Gotta be ready for this season.”
Although it seems ridiculous, there is credence to Butler's reasoning. At this point, he currently leads the league with 37.3 minutes per contest in 55 games played. He's been heavily used in the last couple of weeks heading into the All-Star Break averaging 40.0 minutes per game in the seven contests in February, which included topping 40 minutes four times over that stretch.
What should also be noted is that Butler has played in at least 30 minutes in all but two appearances this season while exceeding 40 minutes on the floor on 14 occasions. He has been a heavily depended upon player by head coach Tom Thibodeau in his first year with Minnesota. Butler has played a huge part in the turn around of the franchise that is currently holding the fourth-best record in the Western Conference and in the midst of the playoff picture.
That said, the decision for Butler not to play didn't necessarily rub everyone the right way as L.A. Clippers guard Lou Williams took to social media to voice his displeasure toward the move which he later stated was only a trolling of his colleague.
Williams had been one of the players snubbed from the contest in which would have been his first career appearance.
Butler was a deserving selection for the game averaging 22.4 points on a career-high 47.6 percent shooting from the field while scoring 20 or more points 37 times including more than 30 ten times this season. Nonetheless, this at least brings clarity to the situation.
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