Butler gives Warriors fans plenty to cheer about in home debut originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – On a day when the Warriors celebrated one of the most beloved players in franchise history, Jimmy Butler III finally got his chance to show off for the Chase Center crowd.
It wasn’t very flashy or filled with brilliant highlights. It simply was Butler doing more of what he has done ever since arriving in town following a trade less than three weeks earlier.
The six-time NBA All-Star, who drew a rousing ovation from the home crowd during pregame intros, settled in like the savvy veteran he is before putting together yet another solid effort.
Butler scored 18 points on 5-of-9 shooting, led a team-wide assault on the free-throw line connecting on all eight attempts he took and dished out five dimes in the 126-102 blowout of former Warriors star Klay Thompson and the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday afternoon.
“You can tell our fans see the difference,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of the Butler addition. “They feel the moment just like we do. Sometimes you have to shake things up and we shook things up. It was a move that made sense, and so far it’s showing why.”
Butler has scored in double figures in each of the six games he has played in a Warriors uniform. In doing so, Butler firmly has established himself as the legitimate and consistent No. 2 scorer option behind Stephen Curry that Golden State has been searching for all season.
Until Sunday, however, most Warriors fans only were able to see Butler do his thing on the television.
What they saw is a player fully capable of helping elevate the franchise back to an elite level. Butler finished his day at plus-28, the second-best mark on the team and Butler’s best since he joined the Warriors.
“The game makes sense when he’s out there,” Kerr said.
Butler missed his first shot attempt at Chase, an open corner 3-pointer that banked off the rim. Moments later, Butler got into the books with a two-hand jam. He was rewarded with another loud ovation, one of many that rang throughout the rafters throughout the afternoon as the Warriors sent the Mavs packing.
There were several big moments for Butler throughout the day.
In the second quarter he drove across the lane, and as the Mavs started to close down, Butler quickly passed to Quinten Post who drained a corner three. Butler later cooked Naji Marshall with a baseline juke on his way to the bucket, then followed that up with a floater from near the free-throw line that ended in a three-point play to put the Warriors up 59-36.
“I like what he does to our offense. It just feels more solid,” Moses Moody said.
Butler had a little fun in front of the home crowd, too.
After connecting on a turnaround jumper early against Kyrie Irving in the fourth quarter, Butler trotted back upcourt while giving the “too small” gesture.
Butler also found time to continue building his budding relationship with Brandin Podziemski. The two men happily chatted together on the bench after being subbed out in the first quarter, another example of the bond the two have forged so quickly — and one Kerr repeatedly has credited for why the overall union between Butler and the Warriors has worked out so well.
Butler had some fun with that, too.
Podziemski took a shot after the whistle in the second half, and Butler came over to playfully swat the ball away.
“Just another high-IQ player,” Podziemski said of Butler. “The beauty of a guy with a high IQ is you can put him in any system and you know he’s going to figure it out. The transition has been seamless.”
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