Jimmy Butler has done wonders with his new team, the Golden State Warriors, since he was traded from the Miami Heat. In the 2024-25 NBA season, Butler has given the Warriors a major push to become one of the top title-contending teams. They’ve risen in the Western Conference standings as the sixth seed with a 37-28 record.
With a new environment, Butler has done an excellent job in adapting to Steve Kerr. He’s done this all while not being the best outside shooter. With the Warriors, he’s only making 20% of his shots from beyond the arc.
On Wednesday, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne appeared as a guest on the show Willard & Dibs and explained how Butler has been able to fit in with the team.
“[Jimmy]’s grown and doesn’t like being told what to do, or how to do it, or when to show up, etc,” the ESPN analyst said. “The reason it works so well in Golden State is Steve Kerr’s whole thing is, ‘Be you. We’re going to let you do you.’
“I think that’s so refreshing for a guy like Jimmy. You don’t need to push him. You don’t need to give him a conditioning test. You don’t need to check his body fat. He’s there. He doesn’t need anything extra or anyone telling him what to do.
"Jimmy [Butler] is an up at 4:30 in the morning guy. Did you know one of his best friends is Mark Wahlberg?…Jimmy said, 'The reason I love Mark Wahlberg so much is that he has everything, but he works like he has nothing.'
…[Jimmy]'s grown and doesn't like being told what to… pic.twitter.com/XP9kkqp3ko
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) March 13, 2025
“I think that’s why it works so well with the Warriors. They’re just going to trust him.”
With the team, Butler has appeared in 13 games, averaging 17.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.7 assists. In the past five games, the 6-foot-7 forward has put up 19.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists, which resulted to five straight wins.
Jimmy Butler says joining the Golden State Warriors is everything he’s ever dreamed of
On Monday, Butler helped the Golden State Warriors with a 130-120 win against the Portland Trail Blazers. He finished the game with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists on 40% shooting from the field. After the game, he spoke to reporters how much he’s enjoying his time with the Warriors because of the players around him and the intelligence they bring.
“IQ is big here, especially with Steph [Curry] and with [Draymond Green],” Butler said. “More than anything, they just play basketball the right way. They know where the ball’s got to go, at what time in the game. That is part of IQ, but that is part of being a winning basketball player as well.
“I think it’s everything that I’ve expected. Anything that I can actually dream of, too, if we’re being brutally honest. I just want to win. There ain’t no individual goals here, they don’t care who scores, they don’t care who gets triple-doubles, they don’t care about none of that. All they want to do is win a championship.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
