Is Warriors’ Jimmy Butler too unselfish? He preaches patience with new team: ‘When it’s my time, you’ll know’

There hasn’t been much for Golden State Warriors fans to complain about over the past six weeks. 

The team is 14-2 since acquiring Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat at the trade deadline and has the NBA’s fifth-best offense and second-best defense over that span. Stephen Curry, who had looked ragged and battered as he attempted to drag the Warriors to the postseason, appears rejuvenated, averaging 28.6 points, six assists and four rebounds since the trade on blistering 49/41/92 shooting splits. Dub Nation is riding high.

But if there is one nitpick — one little, teeny worm of pessimism that’s preventing Warriors fans from fully embracing their newfound championship hopes — it’s this: Jimmy Butler, for whatever reason, seems to hate shooting at the rim.

This is taking nothing away from Butler. Whatever he’s doing is clearly working and has been working for pretty much the duration of his decorated 14-year NBA career. When you see it, though, it’s hard not to be at least slightly concerned. 

Here’s Butler, free in the middle of the paint after a beautiful spin move to split two defenders, facing the antithesis of a rim protector in Sacramento Kings big man Trey Lyles, and he decides to kick it out to Gary Payton II, a 30% 3-point shooter.

And this isn’t just a one-off. Butler does this all the time. It’s beautiful basketball when he draws multiple defenders and kicks out to an open shooter. But more often than you’d expect, Butler passes up point-blank attempts at the rim in favor of a difficult pass to a semi-covered shooter.

The data backs it up. Butler is passing much more with the Warriors than he did with the Heat, and we’re not just talking about assists.

Part of that increase can be attributed to the Warriors’ ball movement-heavy style, but it’s also safe to say that Butler has been looking for teammates much more than his own shot since he joined the team. It’s what Warriors coach Steve Kerr picked up about Butler in the very first game he coached him.

“I’m most impressed with his passing,” Kerr said after Butler’s Warriors debut. “His passing changes everything, connects the game. And he does it from anywhere. He’ll dive down to the post, catch it down there, or he’ll pass off the dribble, or he’ll just make the quick swing.”

Indeed, Butler’s vision leads to plenty of Golden State opportunities throughout the game — nobody’s doubting that. But sometimes he appears to be a bit too unselfish, particularly when the situation requires selfishness.

Take, for example, this play at the end of the Warriors’ victory over the Detroit Pistons earlier this month. With his team up by one and less than a minute left in the game, Butler uses a Curry pick to get a switch and blows past the new defender. Then the only player in his way is Cade Cunningham, not exactly a shot blocker, and he’s still in semi-help position with one foot outside the paint. With Butler’s strength and athleticism, he should be able to get this bucket in his sleep.

Instead he kicks out to a wide-open Quinten Post, a knockdown 3-point shooter but also a rookie who’s only started to get meaningful minutes. Post airballs the shot, giving the Pistons a chance to take the lead on the ensuing possession.

Again, there’s nothing wrong with this decision, and you can argue that it’s the right play to make. But in that situation, with Butler having a lightly contested layup opportunity, you’d love for him to get to the rim and see if he can get a basket and/or pick up a foul — which he’s so adept at doing.

After Saturday’s win over the New York Knicks, Butler discussed the balance between looking for his own shot and setting up teammates.  

“I’m not just a scorer. I can score it if I want to,” Butler said. “I can shoot the toughest of toughest shots if I wanted to, and nobody’s ever gonna say anything. But I want to get everybody involved. I want to get guys in their spots.”

During the regular season, it’s all well and good to have the likes of Payton, Post and Moses Moody as the recipient of Butler’s dimes off of penetration. But in the playoffs, teams will invite those passes as part of the game plan, daring those role players to beat them. The fear is that Butler, having gotten the muscle memory of turning down shots in the paint, will default to those kickouts. And when he eventually decides to take them, perhaps his touch and finishing ability won’t exactly be sharp.

Butler has already struggled around the rim with the Warriors, shooting just 54%, which puts him in the 26th percentile according to Synergy Sports. This isn’t exactly a new trend, either, as he shot 58% around the basket with the Heat last season.

That being said, the reputation of the postseason hero better known as Jimmy Buckets speaks for itself. He nearly single-handedly led the Heat to NBA Finals appearances in 2020 and 2023, and has averaged 27 points per game in each of his last two playoff runs. Butler urged Warriors fans not to worry about the early penchant for passing, assuring them that his scoring will show up as soon as the Bat Signal is unleashed.

“When it’s my time, you’ll know it’s my time,” Butler said. “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’re gonna keep winning.”