Stars Shining Brighter: Improving Jimmy Buckets Basks in Glow of NBA Finals
Jimmy Butler, far removed from modest headlines he generated with Marquette, has exhibited incredible fortitude for the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals before his club and the Los Angeles Lakers left DisneyWorld bubble. Butler and fellow juco recruit Jae Crowder, teammates with Marquette in 2010-11 (22-15 record under coach Buzz Williams), have progressed to become Heat headliners despite not ranking among the top 100 junior college products while performing at NCAA level. Butler's dramatic improvement since joining the league has been startling, averaging 17 ppg in NBA after 12 ppg in college. For instance, he averaged as many assists in first five contests of 2020 Finals as his entire total of 11 scoring feeds in six NCAA playoff games from 2009 through 2011. Nevertheless, he isn't among the following "Magnificient 7" list of All-Americans who posted career scoring averages more than five points per game higher over more than 10 NBA seasons than they did in multiple college campaigns:
| All-American | School | College Average | NBA Regular-Season Average and Summary | Scoring Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Jordan | North Carolina | 17.7 ppg | 30.1 ppg in 15 seasons with low mark of 20 in his final NBA campaign in 2002-03 | 12.4 ppg |
| Hakeem Olajuwon | Houston | 13.3 ppg | 21.8 ppg in 18 years with his first 13 seasons compiling more than 20 from 1984-85 through 1996-97 | 8.5 ppg |
| Charles Barkley | Auburn | 14.1 ppg | 22.1 ppg in 16 years with 11 consecutive seasons compiling more than 20 from 1985-86 through 1995-96 | 8 ppg |
| John Havlicek | Ohio State | 14.6 ppg | 20.8 ppg in 16 years with eight consecutive seasons compiling more than 20 from 1966-67 through 1973-74 | 6.2 ppg |
| Clyde Drexler | Houston | 14.4 ppg | 20.4 ppg in 15 years with his last 13 seasons compiling at least 18 from 1985-86 through 1997-98 | 6 ppg |
| Patrick Ewing | Georgetown | 15.3 ppg | 21 ppg in 17 years with his first 13 seasons compiling at least 20 from 1985-86 through 1997-98 | 5.7 ppg |
| Marques Johnson | UCLA | 14.4 ppg | 20.1 ppg in 11 years with first of six of more than 20 a career-high 25.6 in 1978-79 | 5.7 ppg |