While his reputation may have taken a fair hit amid an unceremonious exit from the Miami Heat, Jimmy Butler's impact at the Golden State Warriors has been undeniable across nearly three months since the blockbuster mid-season trade.
Butler has helped take a stumbling, below average Warrior team into one that's generating championship discussion, and one that's favored to take down the two-seed Houston Rockets following a Game 1 victory at Toyota Center on Sunday.
Jimmy Butler just got extra and unneccesary playoff motivation
While Butler's impact at the Warriors was already significant, the veteran forward has taken things up a notch as 'Playoff Jimmy' has arrived over recent games. Butler averaged over 27 points in his final three regular season games, poured in a game-high 38 to help Golden State advance from the Play-In Tournament against the Memphis Grizzlies, then controlled both ends of the floor with 25 points, seven rebounds, six assists and five steals in Game 1 against the Rockets.
It's evident therefore that Butler doesn't need any more playoff motivation, yet he may have got some anyway thanks to opposing players around the league. In an anonymous NBA player poll published by Sam Amick and Josh Robbins of The Athletic on Tuesday, Butler was voted the fourth-most overrated player in the entire NBA.
Tyrese Haliburton, Rudy Gobert and Trae Young were voted in the top three, with Haliburton responding to the unwanted title with a 21-point, 12-assist performance in the Indiana Pacers' Game 2 win over the Milwaukee Bucks at Gainbridge FieldHouse on Tuesday night.
Butler won't like his name mentioned alongside those three players, particularly given he twice led the Heat to the NBA Finals. It takes a unique and rare level of superstardom to be able to achieve that, leaving his 'overrated' stature as a bizarre one when you combine that with his enormous impact on Golden State recently.
Butler wasn't the only Warrior veteran to be on the list though, with Draymond Green tied for the fifth-most votes despite having just finished a regular season where he was named a finalst and strong contender for Defensive Player of the Year.
Green has long been a polarising player among league circles, so perhaps his inclusion isn't as surprising as Butler's. Still, as a 4x champion, 4x All-Star and arguably the best defender of his generation, there's plenty who are regarded higher than Green yet have achieved less.
The Warriors will be hoping Butler and Green can use this poll as even more motivation over the remainder of the playoffs, starting with Game 2 against the Rockets on Wednesday.