At least through two games, it appears as if Jimmy Butler is fitting in nicely on his new team. While some questioned if Butler would gel with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and company, both on and off the court, Monday night became the latest example of what new-look Warriors are capable of.
Butler scored 20 points with nine rebounds and six assists in Golden State’s 125-111 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. This comes after he shot 58% from the field and recorded 25 points in his team debut against the Bulls on Feb. 8.
But even more important, Butler’s individual production is not standing in the way of Curry leading the way. Curry scored 38 in 34 minutes on Monday and had 34 in Chicago.
Most of Butler’s time with the Heat, a tenure that did include two trips to the NBA Finals despite ending in a bitter divorce, the offense went through him. That’s why some questioned if he could be effective as a partner to Curry.
Butler likes to take jump shots and do most of his work driving towards the basket. This is, of course, in contrast to how Curry plays. Curry, who owns the NBA’s all-time three-point scoring record, lives beyond the arch.
Up until this point, Curry has been used to co-stars like Klay Thompson and even Kevin Durant who, like him aren’t afraid to take any shot from anywhere on the court. That’s just not Butler’s game.
Curry admitted being intrigued by the opportunity to play with a completely different star like Butler.
“I took 16 threes and he shot one. He got to the free throw line a lot, dominated the paint. I dominate the perimeter. It has the potential to be really fun,” said Curry after Butler’s Warriors debut.
Also loving the pairing, Butler joked that his introductory press conference that his job is going to be easy because of the space Curry can provide him. And he’s being proven right so far. With defenders having to pay attention to Curry at all times, Butler is either left only needing to win a one-on-one battle or maybe even unattended all together at times.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr praised Butler’s basketball intelligence following their victory in Milwaukee.
“It has been absolutely seamless and it’s because of Jimmy’s IQ,” said Kerr.
And when asked what he thinks of the Warriors culture, a culture that wouldn’t tolerate some of his behavior from when he was trying to force a trade out of Miami, Butler made it clear he just wants to win.
He considers himself a winner even though he hasn’t won “it” yet, referring to an NBA championship, something four-time champion Curry knows all about.
It seems like Butler has found his joy again, granted his new two-year, $111M deal probably has something to do with that as well.
