Udonis Haslem Pays Ultimate Compliment Toward Jimmy Butler

Miami Heat legend Udonis Haslem thinks the Golden State Warriors are one of the most dangerous teams in the Play-In Tournament.

Aside from future Hall of Famers Steph Curry and Draymond Green, the Warriors now have former Heat forward Jimmy Butler.

"Jimmy Butler is one of the smartest basketball players that I've ever been around," Haslem said on ESPN's NBA Today. "How you guard him in the regular season and how you guard him in one game, you're not going to be able to guard him like that the second one."

"When his back is against the wall, that's when you see the best version of Jimmy Butler."@ThisIsUD says Jimmy Butler is "one of the smartest players" that he's ever been around. 💪 pic.twitter.com/tH9nm6iuQx
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 14, 2025

The Warriors opens postseason play Tuesday against the Memphis Grizzlies. Haslem said Butler thrives in these situations.

"Jimmy Butler, to me, raises his game in the playoffs," Haslem said. "Because whatever he does in the regular season, he's going to look at the film, he's going to make sure the weaknesses and the way you play him, he's going to make those his strengths in the playoffs. He's the ultimate competitor when his back is against the wall."

WARRIORS GET MOTIVATION FROM 2023 HEAT

The Heat had one of the greatest runs in NBA playoffs history in 2023.

The Heat became just the second No. 8 seed to make the Finals behind All-Star Jimmy Butler. Now with the Warriors, Butler is hoping to lead a similar run.

The Warriors are the No. 7 seed entering Tuesday's game against Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies in the Play-In Tournament. Golden State has already discussed what the Heat did two postseasons ago.

“We joked about that I think last week that he [Butler] went into the play-in packing for two months,” Warriors guard Steph Curry said. “We’d love to have that opportunity.”

That year, Butler put the Heat on his back to make the remarkable run. They are just one of two No. 8 seeds to make the Finals, joining the 1999 New York Knicks. Both teams lost, with the Heat falling to Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets and the Knicks losing to the Tim Duncan-led San Antonio Spurs.

Still, the Warriors feel Butler's presence can help. Many felt their championship window closed after winning the 2002 title against the Boston Celtics. But here they are once again with an opportunity to make some noise in the postseason.

The Warriors have won four titles since 2015 with various rosters.

“I’ve been excited since the trade deadline because of that,” Curry said of the Butler acquisition.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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