The Golden State Warriors continued their success since the Jimmy Butler trade on Monday, with a 119-101 victory over the Charlotte Hornets moving their record to 8-1 with the 6x All-Star in the lineup.
Butler has had a profound impact since his arrival at the Warriors last month, yet has done so without finding anywhere near his offensive best as the 35-year-old acclimatizes to his new team.
Not only has Butler struggled with his shooting efficiency so far with Golden State, but he's also lacked some aggressiveness in what's becoming a slightly frustrating element for fans.
Does Jimmy Butler need to score more for the Warriors?
After a 25-point debut for the Warriors against his former team in the Chicago Bulls, Butler has failed to score more than 21 over his last eight games. More specifically, the star forward has been quiet scoring-wise over his last three games, having averaged just over eight points while also missing Saturday's loss to the Philadelphia 76ers due to back spasms.
Butler took just seven shot attempts against the Hornets on Monday, which certainly raised eyebrows among Golden State fans given Brandin Podziemski, Draymond Green and Buddy Hield all took at least 14 attempts.
I want to see a Jimmy Butler 40 piece soon, I’ve had enough of cardio Jimmy
— japtaa⚡️ (@DubsBetterr) March 4, 2025
I would prefer Jimmy Butler to not take half as many shots as Draymond Green, but that’s just me
— Sam Esfandiari (@samesfandiari) March 4, 2025
Butler only getting up 4 shots when the offense looking this trash is inexcusable lol he's the 2nd option, using him all the time as connector is pointless if all it leads to GP2 and Draymond bricking 3's lol
— richard kim (@rkim3150) March 4, 2025
Those seven shot attempts aren't really an outlier either, having taken seven, eight and nine in the previous three games as well. The Warriors won all four games so it's hard to be overly critical, particularly when Butler is getting his teammates involved and making them better in a way Andrew Wiggins never could.
But at the same time, it would be nice to see Butler explode for a 30+ point game, just to prove he can do it with Golden State ore than anything. He hasn't had a 30-point game since December 16 as a member of the Miami Heat when he went for 35 on 12-of-21 shooting in a one-point loss to the Detroit Pistons.
There's also a glass half-full approach in that it's extremely positive that the Warriors have been so good without a truly big Butler scoring performance. That will be needed at some point though, particularly once they face tougher opposition and eventually (hopefully) reach the playoffs where Butler is a noted performer.
Golden State visit the New York Knicks on Tuesday in the second night of a back-to-back, with Butler to face former teammate Karl-Anthony Towns at arguably the most prestigious arena in the league. Perhaps it's the type of setting to inspire a huge performance, with the Warriors sure to be tested by the third-best team in the Eastern Conference.