The Golden State Warriors entered Saturday's matchup with the Chicago Bulls ranked 27th in free-throw attempts and dead last in the NBA in free-throw percentage.
Wednesday's blockbuster addition of Jimmy Butler is supposed to change those numbers, and the 6x All-Star wasted no time doing just that in an impressive Warrior debut against his former team.
Jimmy Butler delivered an excellent Warriors debut on Saturday
Butler's first bucket came on an alley-oop dunk on Golden State's second possession of the game, before he got to the free-throw line for the first time on the following trip down. From there the 35-year-old was solid without being spectacular in the first-half, finishing with eight points, one rebound and three assists on 2-of-6 shooting and 4-of-5 from the charity stripe.
The Warriors found themselves disastrously down by 24 early in the third-quarter, partly because of a 22-2 Bulls run in the first-half where Butler could have been more aggressive in the non-Stephen Curry minutes.
It was the 2x MVP who inspired a monumental comeback in the third, going for 24 points as Golden State finished the quarter on a 38-11 run to take a 3-point lead. Butler really made his presence felt late in that period and early in the fourth, relentlessly attacking the rim and getting to the free-throw line to make sure the Warriors ran away with the game.
WE LOVE TO SEE IT 🔨 https://t.co/sdCNVBcjRu pic.twitter.com/i9QCftVqGu
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) February 9, 2025
Butler finished with 25 points on an efficient 7-of-12 shooting, going 11-of-13 from the line in what was a record for free-throw makes in a Golden State debut. The veteran also added two rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block in just under 29 minutes, finishing as a +16 in the 132-111 victory.
After a rough first-half, the Warriors were near perfect offensively and the balance of Curry's 3-point shooting and Butler's inside scoring was a refreshing sight for many to see. The early chemistry was on display with a mix of alley-oops and entry passes into the paint where Butler often simply overpowered smaller and more inexperinced defenders.
Summary
If you want to be critical then Butler could have been more aggressive in the first-half, but you could forgive that some given he's trying to integrate into a new team, not to mention he actually hasn't played much recently.
The ability to get to the free-throw line can't be underestimated, particularly when much of it came within the flow of the offense. The Warriors couldn't have asked much more from Butler's debut, and if he and Curry are going to play like that together, this team will be hard to beat.