Jimmy Butler earns praise from Warriors after debut. Also, Heat newcomers provide ‘great spark’
As the Miami Heat works to integrate three new players, Jimmy Butler is going through a similar adjustment period with the Golden State Warriors following this past Thursday’s trade.
Butler did the things that made him one of the best players in Heat history during his Warriors debut, finishing Saturday’s road win over the Chicago Bulls with 25 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field and 11-of-13 shooting from the foul line, two rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block in 29 minutes. Butler was a plus 16 in Golden State’s victory.
“Just his presence out there,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of Butler. “He’s a lion. He’s a force.”
Butler’s 11 made free throws on Saturday were the most ever by a player in their Warriors debut. It’s that type of physical and slow-the-game-down style that makes Butler such an interesting fit alongside Warriors three-point shooting star Stephen Curry.
“They say opposites attract in a lot of ways in life,” said Butler, who was traded to the Warriors in the middle of his sixth season with the Heat. “And I don’t think I can be a better complement to him and vice versa in a sense that they’re not leaving him, ever, probably two people would never leave him. So there’s so much space for everybody else and I get the easy job.
“I’m playing one on one, or I’m playing in so much space and then everybody’s looking for him and everybody’s looking to get him open. And at the same time, he’s looking for everybody else. So it’s so great to play with somebody like that.”
That dynamic between Butler and Curry was on full display in their first game together, as Curry exploded for 34 points on 8-of-16 shooting from three-point range while Butler finished with 14 paint points and double-digit free-throw attempts.
“He’s like the exact opposite player of me, which is kind of funny,” Curry said. “I shot 16 threes. He shot one. He got to the free-throw line a lot, dominated the paint. I’m dominating the outside, the perimeter. Guys working around us. It has the potential to be really fun.”
Along with continuing to build on-court and off-court chemistry with his new teammates, Butler is also looking to regain his conditioning after serving three suspensions with the Heat since the start of January. The 35-year-old Butler has played in just six games since Dec. 21.
“Tired, extremely tired, like somebody that had a month off — not that I wanted a month off,” Butler said when asked how he felt following his first game with the Warriors. “But I got it going a little bit. I have to do a ton more of conditioning. But I’ll get it back, it’s only a matter of time.”
Butler also believes it’s only a matter of time until he gets comfortable in the Warriors’ offensive system built around Curry’s elite three-point shooting.
“I’ve been in Miami for, what, six years damn near,” Butler said. “So I know what I’m supposed to be doing, but I kind of go back to what we were doing over there and I’ve got to get that out of my mind very, very quickly. But they understand and they’re barking at me, ‘Hey, no, this is how we do it, this is how you do it.’ It will come with time. Hopefully that time is Monday [against the Milwaukee Bucks], that I don’t make as many mistakes. But I will say that I’m trying.”
FIRST HEAT PRACTICE
With Kyle Anderson, Davion Mitchell and Andrew Wiggins going through their first Heat practice on Sunday, they left a strong first impression on their new teammates.
“We had a great practice today,” Heat veteran Kevin Love said following the session. “It looks like they established themselves within what we’re trying to do pretty much right away.”
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra labeled the arrival of the team’s newcomers as a “great spark.”
“It gave our practice a different kind of jolt,” Spoelstra said. “We feel like we need that right now going into this home stretch, 32 games. So I like the energy. It felt like a good old Miami Heat practice.”
Anderson, Mitchell and Wiggins are expected to be available to make their Heat debuts in Monday’s matchup against the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics at Kaseya Center (7:30 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Sun).
“It’s a great opportunity for us,” Heat center and captain Bam Adebayo said. “It’s a fresh start and I’m looking forward to having them in the lineup, and looking forward to them contributing to winning.”
INJURY REPORT
The Heat ruled out Josh Christopher (G League), Keshad Johnson (G League), Dru Smith (G League) and Isaiah Stevens (G League) for Monday’s game against the Celtics.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. (stomach illness) is listed as questionable. Nikola Jovic (right ankle sprain) is probable.
MONEY RAISED
The Heat raised over $1 million at its annual gala on Saturday night at Kaseya Center.
The gala benefited the Miami Heat Charitable Fund and featured the team’s entire roster. Even the Heat’s three new additions — Anderson, Mitchell and Wiggins — were in attendance for the event.
