Warriors need Jimmy Butler to ‘get the ball’
This is not new: Jimmy Butler tends not to push too hard in the regular season. He’s already been boring in Miami, and he’s also starting to pose a problem for the Warriors, who expect more from him.
After the loss to the Blazers, Steve Kerr regretted it that his wing made just 11 shots, though he did make 11 free throws to finish with 16 points. The coach blamed himself for not putting the ball in the hands of the former Bulls, Wolves or Heat player enough.
A shot that is not necessarily related to the number of shots, but…
“I don’t think Jimmy’s game depends on his shooting, but we need his points and his ability to create. Last year we were better at getting him in a position to attack, to generate shots for others. And we have to get back to that kind of pattern, where we pass him the ball on sets, especially when Steph is not there … We can’t consistently control the ball at the end of the game like we did last year.” explains the coach in particular.
For Steve Kerr, it’s therefore impossible to see the Warriors attack several times in a row without giving the ball to Jimmy Butler when Stephen Curry is resting. However, it happened several times.
“I have to pay more attention to the flow of the game, when he is not touching the ball”pestait Draymond Greenwho regretted numerous turnovers against Portland. “When he hasn’t touched the ball for a few possessions, you have to serve him and make sure he stays in rhythm. I’ve always been the one to make sure the ball moves and gets to the right places, and I didn’t do a good job tonight.”
But the interior also confronts the teammate with his obligations, because it is also up to him to show off.
Better to organize around him?
“I need to improve in this area, but I also need Jimmy to be more aggressive and demonstrative, to go after the ball. Or come for the ball. Let him say exactly where he wants the ball. He will and we are in the process of putting it all together. This is the 27th game of the season. Nobody is panicking.”
Not yet, but the Warriors are under the 50% win mark (13-14), 8th in the Western Conference, and thus just a soft team for now. With Jimmy Butler too passive, the group is too dependent on the performance of Stephen Curry… which is coming visibly exhausted in “money time”.
For Steve Kerr and Stephen Currythe main problem is defensively, as the Warriors struggle against teams that dominate them physically or in size.
“It’s not just Jimmy’s job”Stephen Curry insisted. “There’s going to be nights where he’s going to be the best scorer. There’s going to be nights where he’s going to be the facilitator. There’s going to be nights where it’s going to be one or the other in certain periods. But he’s a unique player because he can dominate even if it doesn’t show in the stats. And he’s going to find a way to get all the other players involved. We just have to organize around that.”
| Jimmy Butler III | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saison | The team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | That | Pd | Ft | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2011-12 | CHI | 42 | 8:33 | 40.5 | 18.2 | 76.8 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 2.6 |
| 2012-13 | CHI | 82 | 26:01 | 46.7 | 38.1 | 80.3 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 4.0 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 8.6 |
| 2013-14 | CHI | 67 | 38:39 | 39.7 | 28.3 | 76.9 | 1.3 | 3.6 | 4.9 | 2.6 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 13.1 |
| 2014-15 | CHI | 65 | 38:40 | 46.2 | 37.8 | 83.4 | 1.8 | 4.1 | 5.8 | 3.3 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 20.0 |
| 2015-16 | CHI | 67 | 36:56 | 45.4 | 31.2 | 83.2 | 1.2 | 4.2 | 5.3 | 4.8 | 1.9 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 20.9 |
| 2016-17 | CHI | 76 | 37:55 | 45.5 | 36.7 | 86.5 | 1.7 | 4.5 | 6.2 | 5.5 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 0.4 | 23.9 |
| 2017-18 | MIN | 59 | 36:41 | 47.4 | 35.0 | 85.4 | 1.3 | 4.0 | 5.3 | 4.9 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 22.2 |
| 2018-19 | MIN | 10 | 36:06 | 47.1 | 37.8 | 78.7 | 1.6 | 3.6 | 5.2 | 4.3 | 1.8 | 2.4 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 21.3 |
| 2018-19 | PHI | 55 | 33:10 | 46.1 | 33.8 | 86.8 | 1.9 | 3.4 | 5.3 | 4.0 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 18.2 |
| 2019-20 | MIA | 58 | 33:47 | 45.5 | 24.4 | 83.4 | 1.8 | 4.8 | 6.7 | 6.0 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 0.6 | 19.9 |
| 2020-21 | MIA | 52 | 33:33 | 49.7 | 24.5 | 86.3 | 1.8 | 5.1 | 6.9 | 7.1 | 1.4 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 0.3 | 21.5 |
| 2021-22 | MIA | 57 | 33:53 | 48.0 | 23.3 | 87.0 | 1.8 | 4.1 | 5.9 | 5.5 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 0.5 | 21.4 |
| 2022-23 | MIA | 64 | 33:24 | 53.9 | 35.0 | 85.0 | 2.2 | 3.7 | 5.9 | 5.3 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 22.9 |
| 2023-24 | MIA | 60 | 34:02 | 49.9 | 41.4 | 85.8 | 1.8 | 3.6 | 5.3 | 5.0 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 20.8 |
| 2024-25 | GS | 30 | 10:40 p.m | 47.6 | 27.9 | 87.0 | 2.3 | 3.2 | 5.5 | 5.9 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 17.9 |
| 2024-25 | MIA | 25 | 30:38 | 54.0 | 36.1 | 80.1 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 5.2 | 4.8 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 17.0 |
| 2025-26 | GS | 23 | 31:10 | 51.0 | 44.4 | 84.9 | 2.3 | 3.6 | 5.9 | 5.0 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 19.1 |
How to read statistics? MJ = matches played; Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive jump; Tot = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; Points = Points.
2025-12-16 13:28:00
