SAN FRANCISCO — Who would the Memphis Grizzlies use to guard Jimmy Butler? That was a topic at the Golden State Warriors’ Tuesday morning shootaround.
“I didn’t think they’d put Jaren (Jackson Jr.) on him because they’d be worrying about Jaren getting in foul trouble,” Draymond Green said. “But I knew they wanted to put size on him.”
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That eliminated their three guards.
“You can’t put Ja (Morant) on him,” Green said. “You can’t put (Desmond) Bane on him. You can’t put Scotty (Pippen Jr.) on him.”
So Steve Kerr and the Warriors correctly predicted that the Grizzlies would plant their starting center, the 7-foot-4 Zach Edey, on Butler, instructing Edey to sag way off of Butler on the perimeter.
“He just told me: ‘I don’t care who guards me. Just give me space. Give me the ball. I’ll make something happen,’” Kerr said. “And that’s the beauty of Jimmy.”
Butler’s version of making something happen: 38 points, 12 of 20 shooting, 12 made free throws, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals — his most productive night as a Warrior at the exact time he was needed most. Butler combined with Steph Curry (37 points) to co-author a 121-116 win that delivered them into the playoffs.
The reward: four days off and a first-round series with the No. 2 seed Houston Rockets.
“I think any team has a chance with me on it,” Butler said. “But I know every team has a chance with Steph on it. I get to play Robin. That’s my Batman.”
Jimmy Butler: “I think any team has a chance with me on it. But I know every team has a chance with Steph on it. I get to play Robin. That’s my Batman.” pic.twitter.com/Zm1hwV35uN
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) April 16, 2025
Butler went 19-of-68 on 3s in his 30 games with the Warriors — a hesitant 27.9 percent on a low volume. It’s part of what inspired the Grizzlies to have Edey linger 10 feet away in the paint when Butler had the ball up top to open the game.
“I can shoot,” Butler said. “I just choose not to shoot 3s.”
But sometimes a particular game or scheme demands it. Here’s a possession in the first quarter. The Warriors’ offense was clogged. They had three points in the first three minutes. Edey is stationed at the elbow, congesting the paint. Butler finally decides to let it fly and punish the strategy.
The Grizzlies kept the strategy even when they replaced Edey with Santi Aldama. Butler’s second made shot of the game was another reluctant 3 from the top of the key. After probing into the lane, he decides it’s the best way to loosen up the defense and hits another.
Butler could’ve kept launching from 3. The Grizzlies never changed course and closed out harder. But something innate told him to attack with force even when the defense was protecting against it.
“I’d rather drive into the paint,” Butler said. “Get me a layup, a middy or pass the ball to somebody that’s probably a much better shooter than I am. I think you and probably everybody else want me to shoot more 3s. But I like shooting some layups.”
So here is Butler early in the second quarter, passing up an open 3 to attack Edey in space. That extra room gives him a runway to zip past Edey’s right hip and power his way into one of what would be three and-1 layups.
Here’s Butler doing it again one possession later. This is during Curry’s time on the bench, when the Warriors’ staff asked him to look to score more. Edey has crept up a bit closer to him on the perimeter, responding to Butler’s clear intent to score more than usual on this night.
Butler blasts past Edey with a jab step and lefty drive and beats him with a quick second jump and nifty putback while Edey is still trying to recover from the initial drive. Butler hits him with a too-small celebration on his way back down the court.
Butler never took more than 17 shots in his first 29 games with the Warriors. He didn’t score 30 once. In their last two games — both quasi-playoff games given the circumstances — Butler took 20 shots in each, scored 30 and 38 points and powered to the free-throw line 27 times.
“He’ll go a couple possessions without touching the ball, and he’s going crazy right now,” Green said. “Like, ‘I have to get the ball! I have to touch the ball!’ So it’s been interesting to watch the shift. As someone who has been in a million playoff series, it’s been interesting to watch this year, and I’m enjoying it.”
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Did Green want to see it earlier? Did they need this Butler sooner?
“I definitely have been wanting him to do it more, but I wasn’t worried at all or going to press for it,” Green said. “Because I’m in Year 13. Jimmy is in Year 14. He has a way about him. You learn not to mess with guys’ process. We all have our process. I have my process. He goes about things a certain way. … Only Buddy (Hield) said something (to him). But it’s Buddy. Buddy don’t know no better. All of us knew he’ll be more aggressive when it’s time to be aggressive.”
Said Butler: “They may need me to score a little bit more right now. But that may change when we play Sunday. If I can get 17 assists and we win, that’s great. If I can get 10 steals or two steals and we win, that’s great. But I think me scoring a little bit more has definitely helped us a little bit.”
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(Photo: Cary Edmondson / Imagn Images)
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