Jimmy Butler's impact on the Golden State Warriors has been profound, with the franchise having now gone 11-1 in games with the 6x All-Star since his blockbuster acquisition just over a month ago.
The 35-year-old has completely turned around the Warriors' season, yet has done so without producing an absolutely dominant scoring game. Despite 25 points in his team debut against the Chicago Bulls before the All-Star break, Butler averaged 16.3 points on 44% shooting through his first 10 games with Golden State.
The Warriors might be seeing the first signs of 'Playoff Jimmy'
But in a big positive for the Warriors as they fight for playoff position, their newest star might be starting to ramp things up following a couple of underwhelming scoring performances.
Butler tied his Warrior-high with 25 points including 10-of-10 free-throw shooting in a two-point win over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday, before breaking that with 26 points on 7-of-13 shooting along with nine rebounds and five assists in Saturday's win over the Detroit Pistons.
A 15-point third-quarter demonstrated Butler's ability to take over, and were perhaps the first signs that he's starting to round into his best form. They were clearly the sentiments of Steve Kerr after the game, with the head coach noting Butler's ability to thrive in a playoff-type environment.
"‘Playoff Jimmy’ is a real thing, and in some ways that felt like a playoff game," Kerr said. "The physicality, and it was kind of a rock fight, frankly. And guys like Jimmy really thrive in these type of games.”
Butler only had two points in the fourth-quarter, but they came at a crucial time as he isolated on Tobias Harris and nailed a mid-range jump-shot to give Golden State the lead in the final 80 seconds. After Detroit regained a two-point advantage, it was Butler who found Draymond Green for the pivotal right wing three with 35 seconds left.
Perhaps the biggest element over the last two games has been Butler's 3-point shooting, having gone 3-of-5 after starting his Warrior career 2-of-20 from beyond the arc. Higher volume 3-point shooting has been a major aspect to 'Playoff Jimmy' in recent years, with the veteran forward averaging at least 3.5 attempts per game in each of the last three post-seasons -- up from around two attempts during the regular season.
Needless to say unearthing 'Playoff Jimmy' will be a key factor in the Warriors' playoff hopes as they retain hold of the sixth-seed in the NBA's Western Conference standings.