Butler-Warriors union still work in progress, even after another win

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Butler-Warriors union still work in progress, even after another win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors in their loss against the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday saw exactly how much of a difference Jimmy Butler has made to the team and their season, and why at 35 years old he’s worth every penny, dollar and comma in the contract he immediately signed upon being traded by the Miami Heat.

In the Warriors’ 119-101 win on Monday night against the Charlotte Hornets, the on-court product at Spectrum Center showed why there’s still a lot of room for improvement in this happy marriage between player and team.

When Butler only scored six points against the Hornets six days ago in the Warriors’ 36-point win at Chase Center, it wasn’t noticeable at all. Butler added eight rebounds, five assists and a steal. His scoring wasn’t needed or necessary in a game where the Warriors led by as many as 39 points, dominating from start to finish.

Playing a Sixers team that had lost nine straight, Butler, who didn’t play because of back spasms, was badly missed in the Warriors’ loss. Then the game began Monday night in Charlotte, and Butler was an afterthought. He didn’t seem to have his usual burst, especially offensively.

Against a 14-win Hornets team, Butler’s fit with the Warriors wasn’t seamless. It was clunky at best. Something was off.

“He’s at his best when the ball is moving,” Steve Kerr told reporters after the win. “I think we can do a better job of getting him involved by not letting the ball stick early in possessions.”

Butler scored the Warriors’ first two points of the game in the opening possession. How those two points were generated was Warriors basketball at its purest, serving as an example of what they expected when pairing Butler and Steph Curry.

As Brandin Podziemski initiated the offense at the of the arc, he used a screen from Draymond Green and swung a left-handed pass for Butler at the right wing. Butler assessed in an instant before using Curry with a dribble-handoff and hit a 16-foot jumper in motion off a bounce pass from Steph.

His only other shot the rest…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/butler-warriors-union-still-progress-212632433.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2025-03-03 21:26:00

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