Greg Ballard vs. Jimmy Butler Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Jimmy Butler and Greg Ballard, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season

Who had the better rookie season? Who had best stats in their 10th season? Who won a championship first? These questions and many others, are answered here.

Greg Ballard played 11 years in the NBA, 2 less than Jimmy Butler, who played 13. Greg Ballard had the first of his seasons in 1977-78, while Jimmy Butler had his rookie season in 2011-12. With that starting point, here you can take a look at each of their seasons side by side and compare how their careers evolved in achivements, awards and championships won, the stats they recorded both in the Regular Season and the Playoffs and how their teams performed in the postseason.

Their Careers

Player
Total Seasons Playoffs Played NBA Years
Greg Ballard 11 7 1977-78 to 1988-89
Jimmy Butler 13 11 2011-12 to 2023-24

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13

Rookie Season

Greg Ballard Jimmy Butler
Season 1977-782011-12
Team Washington BulletsChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionBulls Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Greg Ballard 76 12.3 4.9 1.3 2.2 3.5 0.8 0.4 0.2 0.8 1.2 1.9 4.4 .425 - - - 1.2 1.5 .772
Jimmy Butler 42 8.5 2.6 0.5 0.8 1.3 0.3 0.3 0.1 0.3 0.5 0.8 1.9 .405 0.0 0.3 .182 1.0 1.3 .768
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Greg Ballard 19 12.8 3.9 1.4 2.7 4.2 0.9 0.5 0.2 0.7 1.5 1.1 3.3 .333 - - - 1.7 2.2 .780
Jimmy Butler 3 1.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 -

Season 2

Greg Ballard Jimmy Butler
Season 1978-792012-13
Team Washington BulletsChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Bullets Lost NBA FinalsBulls Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Greg Ballard 82 18.9 7.8 1.7 3.7 5.5 1.4 0.7 0.4 1.2 2.0 3.2 6.8 .465 - - - 1.5 2.1 .692
Jimmy Butler 82 26.0 8.6 1.7 2.3 4.0 1.4 1.0 0.4 0.8 1.2 2.9 6.2 .467 0.5 1.3 .381 2.3 2.8 .803
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Greg Ballard 19 16.4 7.2 1.8 3.1 4.8 0.9 0.5 0.3 1.1 1.5 2.8 5.3 .525 - - - 1.6 2.2 .756
Jimmy Butler 12 40.8 13.3 0.8 4.4 5.2 2.7 1.3 0.5 1.3 2.2 4.2 9.6 .435 1.3 3.1 .405 3.8 4.6 .818

Season 3

Greg Ballard Jimmy Butler
Season 1979-802013-14
Team Washington BulletsChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
Playoffs Bullets Lost East Conf 1st RdBulls Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Greg Ballard 82 29.7 15.6 2.9 4.9 7.8 1.9 1.1 0.4 1.6 2.4 6.6 13.4 .495 0.2 0.6 .340 2.1 2.8 .753
Jimmy Butler 67 38.7 13.1 1.3 3.6 4.9 2.6 1.9 0.5 1.5 1.6 4.1 10.3 .397 1.0 3.6 .283 3.9 5.0 .769
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Greg Ballard 2 36.5 11.0 1.0 6.0 7.0 3.5 0.5 0.5 4.0 4.0 4.5 14.0 .321 0.0 0.0 - 2.0 3.5 .571
Jimmy Butler 5 43.6 13.6 1.2 4.0 5.2 2.2 1.2 0.0 0.6 2.6 4.4 11.4 .386 1.2 4.0 .300 3.6 4.6 .783

Season 4

Greg Ballard Jimmy Butler
Season 1980-812014-15
Team Washington BulletsChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
-Achievement Most Improved Player
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayBulls Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Greg Ballard 82 31.8 15.5 2.0 5.0 7.1 2.4 1.4 0.5 1.4 2.4 6.7 14.5 .463 0.1 0.4 .219 2.0 2.4 .847
Jimmy Butler 65 38.7 20.0 1.8 4.1 5.8 3.3 1.8 0.6 1.4 1.7 6.5 14.0 .462 1.1 3.0 .378 5.9 7.1 .834
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Greg Ballard ------- --- ----------
Jimmy Butler 12 42.2 22.9 1.5 4.1 5.6 3.2 2.4 0.8 1.8 2.3 7.8 17.8 .441 2.3 6.0 .389 4.9 6.0 .819

Season 5

Greg Ballard Jimmy Butler
Season 1981-822015-16
Team Washington BulletsChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Bullets Lost East Conf SemisDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Greg Ballard 79 37.3 18.8 1.7 6.3 8.0 3.2 1.7 0.3 1.5 2.6 7.9 16.5 .475 0.1 0.3 .409 3.0 3.6 .830
Jimmy Butler 67 36.9 20.9 1.2 4.2 5.3 4.8 1.6 0.6 2.0 1.9 7.0 15.4 .454 1.0 3.1 .312 5.9 7.1 .832
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Greg Ballard 7 38.3 13.3 3.1 5.9 9.0 3.1 2.0 0.4 1.7 2.9 5.1 14.3 .360 0.0 0.0 - 3.0 3.6 .840
Jimmy Butler ------- --- ----------

Season 6

Greg Ballard Jimmy Butler
Season 1982-832016-17
Team Washington BulletsChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Third Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayBulls Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Greg Ballard 78 36.4 18.0 1.6 4.9 6.5 3.4 1.7 0.3 2.0 2.3 7.7 16.3 .473 0.2 0.5 .351 2.3 3.0 .781
Jimmy Butler 76 37.0 23.9 1.7 4.5 6.2 5.5 1.9 0.4 2.1 1.5 7.5 16.5 .455 1.2 3.3 .367 7.7 8.9 .865
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Greg Ballard ------- --- ----------
Jimmy Butler 6 39.8 22.7 1.5 5.8 7.3 4.3 1.7 0.8 2.5 1.7 7.7 18.0 .426 1.0 3.8 .261 6.3 7.8 .809

Season 7

Greg Ballard Jimmy Butler
Season 1983-842017-18
Team Washington BulletsMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Third Team
-Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Bullets Lost East Conf 1st RdTimberwolves Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Greg Ballard 82 32.9 14.5 1.7 4.2 6.0 3.5 1.1 0.4 1.7 2.6 6.2 12.9 .481 0.0 0.2 .133 2.0 2.5 .798
Jimmy Butler 59 36.7 22.2 1.3 4.0 5.3 4.9 2.0 0.4 1.8 1.3 7.4 15.6 .474 1.2 3.4 .350 6.2 7.2 .854
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Greg Ballard 4 42.0 16.5 1.8 4.3 6.0 3.5 1.8 0.8 2.0 3.0 6.8 14.8 .458 0.0 0.3 .000 3.0 3.3 .923
Jimmy Butler 5 34.0 15.8 0.6 5.4 6.0 4.0 0.8 0.2 1.0 1.8 5.6 12.6 .444 1.6 3.4 .471 3.0 3.6 .833

Season 8

Greg Ballard Jimmy Butler
Season 1984-852018-19
Team Washington BulletsMinnesota Timberwolves, Philadelphia 76ers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Bullets Lost East Conf 1st Rd76ers Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Greg Ballard 82 32.5 13.1 1.8 4.6 6.5 2.5 1.2 0.4 1.3 2.7 5.7 11.9 .480 0.2 0.6 .304 1.5 1.8 .795
Jimmy Butler 65 33.6 18.7 1.9 3.4 5.3 4.0 1.9 0.6 1.5 1.7 6.4 13.9 .462 1.0 3.0 .347 4.8 5.6 .855
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Greg Ballard 4 16.3 7.5 1.0 2.5 3.5 1.5 0.8 0.0 1.3 1.8 2.8 6.0 .458 0.0 0.5 .000 2.0 2.3 .889
Jimmy Butler 12 35.1 19.4 1.8 4.2 6.0 5.2 1.5 0.6 1.8 1.7 6.6 14.6 .451 1.0 3.8 .267 5.3 6.0 .875

Season 9

Greg Ballard Jimmy Butler
Season 1985-862019-20
Team Golden State WarriorsMiami Heat
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Third Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayHeat Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Greg Ballard 75 23.9 8.8 1.8 3.8 5.6 1.1 0.9 0.1 0.7 2.3 3.6 7.6 .477 0.2 0.5 .486 1.3 1.7 .802
Jimmy Butler 58 33.8 19.9 1.8 4.8 6.7 6.0 1.8 0.6 2.2 1.4 5.9 13.1 .455 0.5 2.1 .244 7.6 9.1 .834
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Greg Ballard ------- --- ----------
Jimmy Butler 21 38.4 22.2 2.2 4.3 6.5 6.0 2.0 0.7 2.8 1.8 6.9 14.0 .488 0.7 2.0 .349 7.8 9.1 .859

Season 10

Greg Ballard Jimmy Butler
Season 1986-872020-21
Team Golden State WarriorsMiami Heat
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Third Team
-Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
-Achievement Steals Leader
Playoffs Warriors Lost West Conf SemisHeat Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Greg Ballard 82 19.3 7.1 1.2 2.9 4.1 1.3 0.6 0.2 0.9 2.0 3.0 6.9 .440 0.2 0.5 .375 0.8 1.1 .747
Jimmy Butler 52 33.6 21.5 1.8 5.1 6.9 7.1 2.1 0.3 2.1 1.4 7.0 14.2 .497 0.5 2.0 .245 6.9 8.0 .863
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Greg Ballard 10 17.9 5.9 1.8 2.2 4.0 1.9 0.8 0.0 0.9 1.6 2.6 4.8 .542 0.4 1.0 .400 0.3 0.4 .750
Jimmy Butler 4 38.5 14.5 1.5 6.0 7.5 7.0 1.3 0.3 2.3 1.5 4.8 16.0 .297 1.0 3.8 .267 4.0 5.5 .727

Note: Greg Ballard didn't play in 1987-88.

Season 11

Greg Ballard Jimmy Butler
Season 1988-892021-22
Team Seattle SupersonicsMiami Heat
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayHeat Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Greg Ballard 2 7.5 3.0 1.0 2.5 3.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.5 0.5 4.0 .125 0.0 0.5 .000 2.0 2.0 1.000
Jimmy Butler 57 33.9 21.4 1.8 4.1 5.9 5.5 1.6 0.5 2.1 1.5 7.0 14.5 .480 0.5 2.0 .233 6.9 8.0 .870
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Greg Ballard ------- --- ----------
Jimmy Butler 17 37.0 27.4 2.4 4.9 7.4 4.6 2.1 0.6 1.5 1.5 9.8 19.3 .506 1.4 4.0 .338 6.5 7.8 .841

Season 12

Greg Ballard Jimmy Butler
Season -2022-23
Team -Miami Heat
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Playoffs -Heat Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Greg Ballard ------- --- ----------
Jimmy Butler 64 33.4 22.9 2.2 3.7 5.9 5.3 1.8 0.3 1.6 1.3 7.5 13.9 .539 0.6 1.6 .350 7.4 8.7 .850
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Greg Ballard ------- --- ----------
Jimmy Butler 22 39.7 26.9 2.1 4.3 6.5 5.9 1.8 0.6 1.9 1.7 9.4 20.1 .468 1.3 3.5 .359 6.8 8.5 .806

Season 13

Greg Ballard Jimmy Butler
Season -2023-24
Team -Miami Heat
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Did Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Greg Ballard ------- --- ----------
Jimmy Butler 60 34.0 20.8 1.8 3.6 5.3 5.0 1.3 0.3 1.7 1.1 6.6 13.2 .499 1.0 2.4 .414 6.6 7.7 .858
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Greg Ballard ------- --- ----------
Jimmy Butler ------- --- ----------