The chants didn’t envelop the entirety of Target Center, but every time Jimmy Butler stepped to the free-throw line late in any of the Timberwolves’ recent home victories, a smattering of fans would chant, “MVP! MVP!”
The volume of those cheers suggests fans are trying to be nice to their own player, but perhaps they don’t really believe what they’re saying.
Nationally, Butler is not in those conversations alongside James Harden, Stephen Curry, LeBron James or Kevin Durant.
But there are subtle, yet important, improvements in the offensive game of this defense-minded star that show those chants have some legitimacy behind them.