Is Jimmy Butler worth the two-year, $110.9M contract extension the Golden State Warriors gave him following his acquisition from the Miami Heat in early February?
Early returns on the deal for Golden State are extremely positive, with the Warriors going 15-2 with Butler and surging to sixth in the Western Conference.
Let’s dive deeper into the 35-year-old’s impact on the offense and defense for Golden State (40-29), which plays Toronto at home Thursday.
(All statistics are through Wednesday’s play.)
Offense: Jimmy Butler boosts Steph Curry
Although Butler is averaging just 17.2 points with Golden State, 1.1 points below his career average, he is making a major impact on offense.
“You could tell he doesn’t really look to score as much,” teammate Steph Curry said following a 97-94 win over the New York Knicks on March 15. “[That’s] just because he’s reading the defense, taking what they’re giving him, but having the ball in his hands is usually a good thing.”
The five-time All-NBA player’s playmaking for others — 6.1 assists per game as a Warrior, 1.8 more than his career average — is noteworthy.
“I love his passing,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said in late February, per NBC Sports Bay Area. “I just feel like every time he puts the ball on the floor and pivots and makes a pass, it’s not spectacular, but it just makes the game flow. And that’s exactly what this team needs.”
Butler’s ability to draw double-teams, even when sharing the floor with offensive savant Curry, has opened myriad scoring opportunities for Curry and others.
Following the loss to the Warriors on March 15, New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau’s highlighted to reporters Butler’s ability to “read the game extremely well.”
Warriors forward Draymond Green shared a similar sentiment following the win over the Knicks: “Jimmy creates for all of us.”
