Warriors fans witnessed Jimmy Butler walk into his Golden State debut this past Saturday night almost immediately after being traded in from Miami, as he participated in 29 minutes without even a training session with his entire squad. Even so, the veteran looked like the player his new team hoped for.
The 35-year-old’s 25 points made in his debut just go to show why he deserved a two-year, $111 million deal with the Warriors. This weekend, he dropped 7 of 12 shots and got to the foul line 13 times to help his squad overcome a 24-point deficit and beat the Bulls 132-111 at the United Center.
His 25-points display were Jimmy’s most in a debut for a new team, as well as the most in a Golden State debut since Kevin Durant did almost a decade ago. However, his coach Steve Kerr mostly praised his aura and passing skills. “I’m most impressed with his passing.”
“His passing changes everything. … The skill, the strength, the ability to get to the free throw line,” the Warriors tactician said postgame, excited about their new signing. “And in the end, it goes beyond that. Just his presence out there. He’s a lion. He’s a force.”
In a way, Butler’s presence inspired his teammates around him. “At no point was it ever like, ah, body language dropping,” Draymond Green said. “That’s kind of what you’ve seen this year. We get down, it’s kind of like snakebitten mentality. And it was total opposite [tonight], which is why we came back. No problem.”
This is why the four-time champion was then asked if the Warriors have championship energy with their new recruit. “One-million-percent,” the veteran assured. “I wouldn’t necessarily say we have championship swagger. We have championship pedigree. The championship swagger is what we’re trying to find again.”
Jimmy admitted to feeling exhausted after the game, as it is only his sixth contest since December 20. “Tired. Extremely tired,” he shared postgame. “Like somebody that had a month off. Not that I wanted a month off, but I got going a little bit. I got to do a ton more of conditioning, but I’ll get it back. It’s only a matter of time.”
