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Jaylen Brown vs. Jimmy Butler: 2025–26 season

hussEyquation2025–26 season · regular-season impact
Regular-season verdict

Jimmy Butler has the higher model estimate for the 2025–26 season

This is a model estimate for the selected season. Its lineup adjustment also draws on earlier seasons; it is not a measurement of this season’s teammate improvement.

Impact comparison
+1.3Season impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average+3.0Leads
#75Season impact rank#8Leads
-1.27Estimated defensive impactSelected-season lineup estimate · points per 100 possessions+1.89Leads
+1.17Estimated offensive impactSelected-season lineup estimate · points per 100 possessions+2.94Leads
1.5%Steal rate2.3%Leads
12.7%Turnover rateLower is better; compare alongside offensive workload9.3%Leads
36.2%Offensive usage23.3%
57.3%True shooting %64.6%Leads
25.9%LeadsAssist rateShare of teammates’ made shots assisted while on court24.3%
11.1%LeadsRebound rateShare of available rebounds collected while on court10.0%
71Games38
2,443Minutes1,182

Jimmy Butler's estimated impact per 100 possessions was +3.0, compared with +1.3 for Jaylen Brown. This compares their impact while playing, not their total contribution across the season. Both players are compared in the 2025–26 season using its published Impact Rate. A ranked comparison requires at least 450 minutes for each player.

Jaylen Brown: 71 games and 2,443 minutes. Jimmy Butler: 38 games and 1,182 minutes. Playing time matters when judging the whole season; the impact estimate above is a rate, not a season total.

Jaylen Brown ended a larger share of his team’s possessions, so the turnover rates are not an equal-workload comparison. Offensive usage measures the share of team plays a player ends with a shot, free throws, or a turnover while on the court—not every touch, pass, or act of playmaking. These rows provide context; they are not extra points added to the ranking.

Regular season only. Impact figures are estimates; small gaps are not exact. Playoffs, awards and titles do not determine the verdict.

2025–26 season · regular-season impacthusseyquation.com/compare/jaylen-brown/jimmy-butler/2025-26

Behind the estimate

Why the model rates them this way

The model starts with each player’s recorded individual stats, then adjusts that estimate using lineup results. The first two rows add up to the final estimate. All figures are points per 100 possessions.

Jaylen BrownMetricJimmy Butler
+1.55From recorded individual stats+2.84Leads
-0.30Adjustment from recent lineup results+0.20Leads
+1.25Final estimated impact+3.04Leads

Lineup evidence: Jaylen Brown — 3 seasons; Jimmy Butler — 3 seasons. This adjustment is not necessarily based on the selected season alone.

Offensive and defensive lineup estimates for the selected season

These selected-season estimates account for who played alongside and against each player. Positive means better than average; a positive defensive figure means fewer points allowed. They are separate estimates—not additional points added to the calculation above. They do not measure how much individual teammates improved.

Jaylen BrownMetricJimmy Butler
+1.17Adjusted offensive impact+2.94Leads
-1.27Adjusted defensive impact+1.89Leads

What this does not establish: these figures do not prove that either player made his teammates shoot better. The observed with/without results below answer a different question and do not change the ranking. A small difference in the estimates is not a decisive basketball distinction.

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Full comparison · 2025–26 season

Understand the numbers

Start with impact, then compare playing time and skills. Team results add context. These are not categories to tally into a winner.

1 · Ranking evidence

Impact: who ranks higher, and why?

The impact estimate compares performance while playing, not total contribution over the season. The individual-stat estimate plus the lineup adjustment gives the final estimate.

Impact: Jaylen Brown and Jimmy Butler
MetricJaylen BrownJimmy Butler
Season impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average+1.3+3.0Better result for this metric.
Season impact rank#75#8Better result for this metric.
From recorded individual stats+1.55+2.84Better result for this metric.
Adjustment from recent lineup results-0.30+0.20Better result for this metric.

Jaylen Brown: 3 seasons of lineup evidence. Jimmy Butler: 3 seasons of lineup evidence. The adjustment is not necessarily based on this season alone.

Show more stats: Impact
Impact: Jaylen Brown and Jimmy Butler
MetricJaylen BrownJimmy Butler
Final estimated impact+1.25+3.04Better result for this metric.

2 · Playing time and responsibility

How much did each player take on?

Read games and minutes alongside impact. Offensive usage is the share of team plays a player ends with a shot, free throws, or a turnover while on court. More usage is not automatically better.

Playing time and workload: Jaylen Brown and Jimmy Butler
MetricJaylen BrownJimmy Butler
Games7138
Minutes2,4431,182
Offensive usage36.2%23.3%

3 · Individual skills

Where does each player have an advantage?

These figures describe the selected regular seasons. They provide context, not extra points added to the verdict. Green marks the better result for a metric, including lower turnover rates. Workload and shot-selection measures stay neutral. These rows are not votes toward the ranking.

Shooting

True shooting includes two-pointers, three-pointers, and free throws.

Shooting: Jaylen Brown and Jimmy Butler
MetricJaylen BrownJimmy Butler
True shooting percentage57.3%64.6%Better result for this metric.
Show more stats: Shooting
Shooting: Jaylen Brown and Jimmy Butler
MetricJaylen BrownJimmy Butler
Field-goal percentage47.7%51.9%Better result for this metric.
Three-point percentage34.7%37.6%Better result for this metric.
Free-throw percentage79.5%86.4%Better result for this metric.
Three-point attempt rateShare of field-goal attempts taken from three; describes shot selection, not quality26.2%18.4%

Passing

Assist rate is the share of teammates’ made shots assisted while the player is on court. Read turnovers alongside offensive workload; lower turnover rate is generally better.

Passing: Jaylen Brown and Jimmy Butler
MetricJaylen BrownJimmy Butler
Assist rateShare of teammates’ made shots assisted while on court25.9%Better result for this metric.24.3%
Assists per game5.1Better result for this metric.4.9
Show more stats: Passing
Passing: Jaylen Brown and Jimmy Butler
MetricJaylen BrownJimmy Butler
Turnover rateLower is better; compare alongside offensive workload12.7%9.3%Better result for this metric.

Rebounding

Rebound rate is the share of available rebounds collected while on court.

Rebounding: Jaylen Brown and Jimmy Butler
MetricJaylen BrownJimmy Butler
Rebound rateShare of available rebounds collected while on court11.1%Better result for this metric.10.0%
Rebounds per game6.9Better result for this metric.5.6

Defense

Steals and blocks describe only part of defense. They do not capture every stop, rotation, or matchup.

Defense: Jaylen Brown and Jimmy Butler
MetricJaylen BrownJimmy Butler
Steal rate1.5%2.3%Better result for this metric.
Show more stats: Defense
Defense: Jaylen Brown and Jimmy Butler
MetricJaylen BrownJimmy Butler
Block rateShare of opponents’ two-point attempts blocked while on court1.1%Better result for this metric.0.6%

Scoring

Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.

Scoring: Jaylen Brown and Jimmy Butler
MetricJaylen BrownJimmy Butler
Points per game28.7Better result for this metric.20.0

4 · Team context, not ranking inputs

What happened with and without them?

These are observed results, not adjusted model estimates. Different teammates, opponents, injuries, and substitutions can explain some of the difference. They do not establish cause and effect or change the ranking.

Observed team results: Jaylen Brown and Jimmy Butler
MetricJaylen BrownJimmy Butler
Change in team scoringPositive means more points scored; not adjusted for lineups-0.36Unavailable
Improvement in team defensePositive means fewer points allowed with him; not adjusted for lineups-5.88Unavailable
Teammate shooting differencePercentage-point difference, not relative percent change; not proof of causation+2.4%Unavailable

Incomplete samples. Jaylen Brown: 2,414 of 2,443 recorded player minutes covered (98.8%), and 1,436 minutes without him. Jimmy Butler: sample unavailable. Missing minutes are not zero. Minute coverage is not a possession count.

Show more stats: Observed team results
Observed team results: Jaylen Brown and Jimmy Butler
MetricJaylen BrownJimmy Butler
Team scoring — with himPoints scored per 100 possessions120.8Unavailable
Team scoring — without himPoints scored per 100 possessions121.2Unavailable
Points allowed — with himOpponent points per 100 possessions114.5Unavailable
Points allowed — without himOpponent points per 100 possessions108.6Unavailable
Teammate shooting — with himWeighted same-teammate shooting percentage, with extra credit for threes58.6%Unavailable
Teammate shooting — without himUses the same teammates and weights as the with-player row56.2%Unavailable
How teammate shooting is calculated

We exclude the player’s own shots and compare the same teammates with and without him. Each teammate needs at least 100 minutes in both situations. Both averages use the smaller of each teammate’s two minute totals as the weight. Three-pointers receive extra credit. Differences are percentage points, not relative percentage increases. This is an average of teammate rates, not pooled team shooting.

Jaylen Brown: 12 qualifying teammates

  • Nikola Vučević: 38.6% with him (189 minutes), 58.9% without him (130 minutes).
  • Jayson Tatum: 53.5% with him (318 minutes), 44.2% without him (204 minutes).
  • Derrick White: 51.8% with him (1,702 minutes), 45.0% without him (907 minutes).
  • Anfernee Simons: 55.9% with him (585 minutes), 55.2% without him (617 minutes).
  • Neemias Queta: 65.1% with him (1,310 minutes), 65.2% without him (603 minutes).
  • Payton Pritchard: 54.7% with him (1,665 minutes), 57.7% without him (861 minutes).
  • Luka Garza: 66.6% with him (582 minutes), 66.0% without him (482 minutes).
  • Sam Hauser: 61.1% with him (1,104 minutes), 53.3% without him (802 minutes).
  • Josh Minott: 65.1% with him (286 minutes), 59.8% without him (240 minutes).
  • Baylor Scheierman: 62.8% with him (626 minutes), 57.9% without him (740 minutes).
  • Jordan Walsh: 60.8% with him (599 minutes), 60.9% without him (558 minutes).
  • Hugo González: 57.4% with him (444 minutes), 54.5% without him (615 minutes).

Sample retrieved 2026-10-12. Source rates are rounded.

Selected-season adjusted lineup estimates

These account for who played alongside and against each player. Positive defense means fewer points allowed. They are separate from the observed results and are not additional points added to the model calculation.

Adjusted lineup estimates: Jaylen Brown and Jimmy Butler
MetricJaylen BrownJimmy Butler
Adjusted offensive impact+1.17+2.94Better result for this metric.
Adjusted defensive impact-1.27+1.89Better result for this metric.

Four separate questions

Impact, winning, playoffs, and awards

These are different ways to understand a career. Only Regular Season Impact determines the hussEyquation verdict. The other three sections add basketball context without adding points or changing the rank.

Career to date. At least one player is active. Every total below stops after the latest completed season in this data; nothing is projected.

Ranking result

Regular Season Impact

Jimmy Butler has the higher model estimate for the 2025–26 season.

Jaylen BrownMetricJimmy Butler
+1.3Season impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average+3.0Leads
#75Season impact rank#8Leads

This is the ranking result. It uses regular-season impact only. Team records, playoffs, and awards do not change it.

Context

Team Success

The advantages are split across the available measures.

Jaylen BrownMetricJimmy Butler
530Listed-team regular-season wins759Leads
66.3%LeadsListed-team winning percentage55.8%
7Leads50-win team seasons4
2Leads60-win team seasons0
10Playoff team seasons14Leads

Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Final records for every listed team-season. A traded season can include more than one team.

Context

Playoff Résumé

The advantages are split across the available measures.

Jaylen BrownMetricJimmy Butler
9Playoff appearances12Leads
142LeadsPlayoff games130
85LeadsTeam playoff wins67
2Finals appearances2
1LeadsChampionships0

Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Team playoff results count only seasons when the player appeared in a playoff game.

Context

Awards

Jimmy Butler leads every available measure below.

Jaylen BrownMetricJimmy Butler
5All-Star6Leads
0MVP0
2All-NBA5Leads
0All-Defense5Leads
0DPOY0
0Rookie of the Year0

Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Major regular-season honors are recognition, not inputs to the impact ranking.

How each context field is counted
Listed-team regular-season wins
The sum of each listed team's final wins in every season the player represented that team.
Listed-team winning percentage
Those team wins divided by those teams' total regular-season games.
50- and 60-win team seasons
Listed team-seasons that finished with at least 50 or 60 wins. Shortened seasons are not projected to 82 games.
Team seasons reaching playoffs
Listed team-seasons in which that team qualified for the playoffs.
Playoff appearances and games
Postseasons and games in which the player appeared.
Team playoff wins
Team wins from those postseasons. They describe team results, not individual credit.
Finals appearances and championships
Seasons when the player appeared in the playoffs for the finalist or champion.
Awards
Recorded NBA selections and major regular-season honors. A zero means the source records none; Not available means the source field is missing.

Source and scope Basketball Reference, NBA seasons 1950–51 through 2025–26, accessed 2026-10-09. Active-career totals are results to date through the latest completed season in the source.

Selected seasons

Era-centered impact

Both bars show the same NBA season. Missing or unqualified data does not establish a winner.

Jaylen BrownJimmy Butler

Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average

1

Striped bars mark seasons with fewer than 40 games. A dashed mark means that player had no season at the aligned point.

Both bars show the same NBA season. Missing or unqualified data does not establish a winner.