CHICAGO — About 45 minutes after the Warriors ripped off a 132-111 road win over the Bulls in Jimmy Butler’s debut, Steph Curry was in the visiting locker replaying one of Butler’s biggest buckets.
It came at the start of the fourth quarter. Curry had just finished off a 24-point third-quarter volcano, slingshotting the Warriors from down 24 to up by 3. He was hot enough that Steve Kerr let him play the entire 12 minutes, a rarity these days, meaning Curry would spend the first five or six minutes of the fourth quarter parked on the bench.
That’s typically danger time for the Warriors. But the dynamic is shifting. The Warriors acquired Butler, in part, to own the non-Curry minutes. To open the fourth quarter in his first game with the Warriors, they had him on the floor with Draymond Green, Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield and Quinten Post.
Butler found Kevin Huerter defending him on the quarter’s third possession. He stuck a forearm in Huerter’s chest, sealed him away and put his hands up for the ball. Green, from a few feet behind the 3-point line, lobbed one over the top for what would become an all-in-one-motion catch and twisting, falling and-1 layup.
“It was like a receiver,” Curry said, trying to mimic the way Butler caught it in mid-air and had the strength and accuracy to muscle it in while falling. “That was ridiculous.”
Here’s the play.
Green raved about this Butler quality postgame, calling him a “great target,” which is a passer’s dream. Green is a risky playmaker and he now has an elite recipient on the other end. The one time they did disconnect, Green airmailed a deep outlet pass and immediately tried to take blame, but Butler shook his head in refusal, signaling to Green to keep trying those same audacious passes.
“Put the ball in his area, he’s gonna get it,” Green said.
Kerr said he was most impressed with Butler’s passing and his team most needed Butler’s attitude, calling him a “lion” who evokes a level of belief that this Warriors team has been lacking for months.
“That’s kind of the key, to me,” Kerr said. “It’s the swagger that he gives us. He gives confidence to the rest of the group including Steph and Draymond and that’s important. When all those guys are feeling empowered and confident, you feel the difference. … This is the whole point of the deal, to inject that confidence and presence Jimmy brings.”
But it’s also the style of attack. The Warriors, as Kerr has pointed out several times during losing streaks this season, don’t generate enough layups or free throws. They’re the least productive team in the NBA in the restricted area and shoot the fourth fewest free throws.
Butler gets more than half his shots near the restricted area (178 of 275 this season), shoots a great percentage (63.5) down there and has averaged around eight free throws per game during his five-plus seasons in Miami.
“He’s like the exact opposite player of me, which is kind of funny,” Curry said. “I shot 16 3s. He shot one. He got to the free-throw line a lot, dominated the paint. I’m dominating the outside, the perimeter. Guys working around us. It has the potential to be really fun.”
Curry torched the Bulls in the third quarter: 24 points, five made 3s in 12 minutes. He had a bounce to his step and finished with 34 points on 19 shots.
“You talk about killer,” Butler said. “You talk about a lion that’s going for the kill every time. That’s who he is. I’m ready to be his teammate and ride alongside him.”
Butler was relayed Curry’s comment about them being “opposite” players.
“They say opposites attract in life,” Butler said. “I don’t think I could be a better complement to him and vice versa. They’re not leaving him ever. Probably two people will never leave him. There’s so much space for everyone else. I get the easy job. I’m playing one-on-one or I’m playing in so much space. It’s so great playing with someone like that.”
Jimmy Butler on this Steph Curry comment: “Opposites attract in life. I don’t think I could be a better complement to him and vice versa. They’re not leaving him ever. Maybe two people…I get the easy job. I’m playing 1-on-1 or in space.” https://t.co/KyXgUAVELc pic.twitter.com/3jt7TBOmAT
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 9, 2025
When Curry was beginning his third-quarter inferno, the Bulls were on increased alert. Their defenders were chasing him around screens with an extra level of ferocity. They had already fouled their way into the bonus at the six-minute mark.
Butler knew that. Already understanding how to properly run the Warriors’ split cut action, he entered it into the post to Green and set up to screen for a curling Curry, who had Ayo Dosunmu chasing him with some force. So Butler just took the hit, fell over and earned two of the easiest free throws he’ll get, another early way he’s found to leverage Curry’s gravity into what he does best.
It’s one game against one of the East’s worst teams and, at one point during it, the Warriors trailed by 24. They’re 26-26 and still sitting at the bottom of the play-in bracket.
But Butler’s debut signified the Warriors’ most hopeful moment in months, an introduction of a superstar who seems to blend well into their system, helps solve their biggest weaknesses and accentuates Curry, who has been dying for a co-star for a few seasons.
Steve Kerr on Jimmy Butler presence: “That’s the key to me. It’s the swagger he gives us. He gives confidence to the rest of the group, including Steph and Draymond…This is the whole point of the deal, to inject that confidence and presence Jimmy brings.” pic.twitter.com/mojWx3n4bf
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 9, 2025
Steve Kerr on Jimmy Butler
“Pretty fun having Jimmy on our team.”
“I’m most impressed with his passing.”
“He’s a Lion.” pic.twitter.com/XZOHz8bSxu
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 9, 2025
(Photo of Jimmy Butler driving to the basket against Chicago’s Coby White: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
