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Warriors Rave About Jimmy Butler's Rare Ability After Game 1 Win

Jimmy Butler is a calming influence.

Kyle Koster

Houston Rockets forward Amen Thompson (1) and Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III (10) react after Butler scores a basket during the third quarter at Toyota Center.
Houston Rockets forward Amen Thompson (1) and Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III (10) react after Butler scores a basket during the third quarter at Toyota Center. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
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Jimmy Butler looked like his playoff self in the Golden State Warriors' Game 1 victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night, scoring 25 points and providing another go-to option during crunch time. The team's decision to trade for the mercurial star looks as though it may age magnificently if they put together a run deep into the Western Conference bracket and potentially further.

After the victory, all the Warriors big names had praise for their in-season acquisition. Stephen Curry made sure all proper respect was given in an interview with Inside the NBA and both Draymond Green and Steve Kerr raved about the stability Butler is able to provide for their offense.

"He calms things down," Kerr said. "He's very confident. He's very poised. He always believes we're going to win."

"It always just settles the offense down," Green observed of the possessions that run through Butler. "That's what we want and I think we've got to do an even better job of making sure we're getting him the ball. Overall, he's such a huge calming force for us."

Butler, when right and locked in, has a postseason track record few can match. So it's not a huge surprise that he hit the ground running. Yet it's interesting that someone who emerged from such a tumultuous situation and plays with such unbridled energy is perceived as the calm port in a storm from those who need him most.

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Kyle Koster
KYLE KOSTER

Kyle Koster is an assistant managing editor at Sports Illustrated covering the intersection of sports and media. He was formerly the editor in chief of The Big Lead, where he worked from 2011 to '24. Koster also did turns at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he created the Sports Pros(e) blog, and at Woven Digital.

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