Since his move to the Golden State Warriors, Jimmy Butler feels that he has yet to fully arrive as a scorer. However, he believes that once he does, his new-found presence will be felt.
After the Warriors’ Saturday night win over the New York Knicks, in which Butler scored just 11 points, the 35-year-old told reporters that he is content with his current role, but his “time” is coming. Butler noted that he does not feel the need to change anything about his current approach as the team continues to win.
“I’m not just a scorer,” Butler said, via Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “I can score if I want to. I can shoot the toughest shots and no one is going to say anything. But I want to get guys involved. When it’s my time, you’ll know that it’s my time. Until then, we gonna pass the ball to the open man, get my guys some jumpers, get them out in transition and we’re gonna keep winning.”
Jimmy Butler on his scoring: “When it’s my time, you’ll know it’s my time. Until then, I’m going to pass the ball to the open man, get my guys some jumpers, get them out in transition and we gonna keep winning.” pic.twitter.com/sbue8m2uIP
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 16, 2025
Since acquiring Butler from the Heat at the trade deadline, the Warriors are 14-1 with him in the lineup. They have since improved to 39-28 overall, assuming the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference.
Through 15 games with the Warriors, Butler is only averaging 16.4 points per game, the fewest of his career since 2013-2014. Part of the decreased production can be attributed to age, but most of it is due to this altered role with the team. Butler is averaging just 11 shots per game with Golden State as opposed to 43.9 passes, the latter number being the second-highest on the team.
Will Warriors F Jimmy Butler’s scoring increase in playoffs?
At this point of his career, fans are also familiar with Butler’s tendency to ramp up his scoring in the playoffs. In his last two postseason appearances, Butler averaged 27.1 points per game to catapult the Heat to multiple legendary runs. Perhaps this is the “time” he is referencing.
However, while Butler tends to substantially elevate his game in the playoffs, so too does his teammate, Stephen Curry. Both players are fully capable of taking over any game at any given moment.
If the season were to abruptly end, the Warriors would face the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs. In such a scenario, Butler could be called upon for his scoring with the Nuggets allowing the 24th most points in the paint, an area in which he tends to dominate. Yet, Denver also allows the seventh-most catch-and-shoot three-pointers per game, a weakness Curry could also exploit.
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