Jimmy Butler was back doing what he does best on Saturday, helping the Golden State Warriors to a remarkable comeback victory over the Chicago Bulls in his franchise debut.
The 6x All-Star had 18 points in the second-half, with Stephen Curry erasing a 24-point deficit before Butler continued the momentum with an explosive run at the start of the fourth-quarter in what finished as a 132-111 win.
Jimmy Butler has got his basketball joy back with the Warriors
More importantly for Butler, he was back playing the game he loves and having fun doing it. Perhaps that was best illustrated following a crafty and-1 layup early in the fourth, to which he immediately pointed to and walked over to Curry on the bench with a big grin on his face.
Butler had publicly declared that he lost his joy with the Miami Heat, leading to growing discontent between player and franchise and what eventually resulted as multiple suspensions. That caused the 35-year-old to make just five appearances between December 21 and his Warrior debut on Saturday, meaning Butler should only get better as he gets more games under his belt.
“I want to get my joy back. I’m happy here — off the court. But I want to be back to someone dominant. I want to hoop, and I want to help this team win. Right now, I’m not doing that," Butler said on January 3 while also stating that he likely wouldn't find his joy back with the Heat.
There's little doubt that much of Butler's growing frustration came from Miami's unwillingness to offer a significant contract extension, something Golden State came through with in giving him a two-year, $112 million deal upon his arrival.
Only Butler himself can answer how much his rediscovered joy can be attributed to a new payday, but the Warriors shouldn't care so long as they get a motivated version of their newest star. It's only one game against one of the league's poorer teams, yet the early signs are excellent as Butler displayed the elements -- inside scoring, ability to get to the free-throw line, secondary shot creation etc. -- that Golden State have desperately needed.
The Warriors and Butler may not have been each other's first choice before the trade deadline, but the franchise has nonetheless given the veteran forward his joy back, and in return they've got a highly motivated player capable of drastically turning the fortunes of their season around.
