All eyes will be on Jimmy Butler on Saturday when he likely will make his Warriors debut against the Chicago Bulls, the franchise that drafted him into the NBA in 2011.
Though Butler, 35, did not participate in Golden State’s shootaround Saturday morning at United Center – not all parties involved in the four-team trade have passed physicals with their new team – both he and the Warriors anticipate he will play. Coverage on NBC Sports Bay Area begins with Warriors Pregame at 4 p.m., followed by tipoff shortly after 5.
Coach Steve Kerr said Thursday he planned to install Butler in the starting lineup, even though he has been with the team less than 48 hours. The belief is that the 6-foot-7 guard/forward’s conditioning will allow him to play 20-25 minutes despite the fact he has appeared in only four games in the last seven weeks and none since Jan. 21.
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“I don’t think it will take too long,” Kerr told reporters in Los Angeles. “It's more a matter of terminology and learning a few of our sets. We'll try to keep things really simple to start. He's got to learn our out-of-bounds plays, in particular, and a few of our sets. But I don't anticipate it will take too long. He'll obviously be in the starting lineup the first game. We'll get him get him out there right away, and no looking back.”
The curiosity related to Butler’s debut is more about his compatibility with his new teammates than any member of the Bulls. Chicago coach Billy Donovan could defend Butler with any number of players – from Ayo Dosunmu to Patrick Williams to Josh Giddey – but none is an exceptional defender.
Put another way, a fit and inspired Butler would be too much for any of them.
Under the microscope immediately and in the coming weeks will be the on-court harmony between Butler and the rest of the Warriors, most notably Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. Butler is a terrific playmaker, as good at creating good shots for teammates as well as himself.
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He doesn’t shoot 3-pointers well enough to spread the floor, which could lead to some clutter. He is, however, deadly from the midrange and wily enough to goad defenders into fouls that send him to the line.
Can Butler and the Warriors make their union blissful? This game is the first of the team’s 31 remaining regular-season games to find out.