Jimmy Butler has no regrets in leaving Miami for Golden State, even if Phoenix was his reported first option.
If there is anything he regrets, it’s losing to a shorthanded Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, Feb. 12, that blemished his record as a Warrior.
“We should be 4-0,” Butler told reporters after the Warriors beat his hometown team Houston Rockets 105-98 on Thursday, Feb. 13. “I am not going to lie to you. I have been sick to my stomach because of it since I got here. But we are going to figure it out. We are going to go streaking.”
Butler had a key turnover and an offensive foul late in the fourth quarter, allowing the Mavericks to escape with a 111-107 win. He finished with a near triple-double (21 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists). But those two egregious plays down the stretch from the usually clutch Butler haunted him.
He made sure to make up for it less than 24 hours later. His pair of free throws with 2:01 left in the game against the Rockets gave the Warriors an 11-point cushion.
“We let one get away last night, but this one tonight, we would’ve lost,” Warriors forward Draymond Green told reporters. “But just having a guy like that changes everything for us. So after four games … the assessment [on Butler] is, it’s great.”
Jimmy Butler Is the ‘Real Deal’
A rejuvenated Butler has energized a flailing Golden State Warriors team that has come to life with their third win in four games with him in the lineup.
They improved to 28-27 heading into the All-Star break with a 1.5-game lead over the 26-28 Suns for the final play-in berth.
Butler finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists in the latest Golden State win. His aggressive inside game has complemented Stephen Curry‘s outside game and the Warriors’ motion offense.
Butler has plugged their glaring weakness — inside scoring and free throws.
Since he joined Golden State, the Warriors dramatically jumped from last (14.7) to No. 3 (22.7) in free throws made thanks to Butler.
Against the Rockets, he shot a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line.
“Jimmy, he’s a real deal,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr told reporters. “I mean, just a complete basketball player, methodical, under control all the time, plays at his own pace, never turns it over, sees the game and then can get to the line frequently.”
Butler has made 34 free throws. He’s attempted a total of 40 free throws in four games with the Warriors — an insane average of 10 attempts per game.
Warriors’ New Dynamic Duo
In four games with the Warriors, Butler is averaging 21.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists. He’s given the Warriors a reliable second scoring option next to Curry. And Curry has also benefited with Butler’s presence.
It’s no coincidence that Curry has regained his All-NBA form, averaging 31.0 points, 5.3 assists and 5.0 rebounds, since Butler arrived.
And the scary thing is Butler isn’t in game shape yet and their chemistry is still a work in progress.
“We’re always just trying to continue to build chemistry — understand what he does well,” Curry told NBC Sports Bay Area after the win. “You can’t really rush him, and like the crazy thing is he’s still a little rusty. He would even tell you that. He’s trying to get back in game shape [after] he didn’t play consistently early in the season.
“So for him to get his legs underneath him and for us to understand what he does well — He dominates the paint, he usually makes the right play, he draws a crowd and a great passer — so if the game slows down, it’s another option to run our offense through to try to create good shots and not be so one-dimensional like we were.”
Jimmy Butler Has One Regret Since Joining Warriors: ‘Sick to My Stomach’