Retired NBA veteran and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins believes star Warriors forward Jimmy Butler must be more aggressive in the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves, with Steph Curry indefinitely out with a Grade 1 hamstring strain.
Perkins’ take comes one day after Butler finished with a role player-esque 17 points on 6-for-13 shooting with seven rebounds and four assists in Golden State’s 117-93 Game 2 loss to Minnesota.
“It’s the line LeBron [James] told Luka [Dončić] – ‘Don’t fit in, fit out.’ Jimmy, they need you to fit out now,” Perkins said on Thursday night’s post-game edition of ESPN’s “SportsCenter.” “You’re not the second option, you’re not the Robin – you’re the Batman. Thirteen shot attempts are not going to cut it; minimum 20 shot attempts going into this game. And that has to be the message delivered from Steve Kerr and Draymond Green in order for them to stay afloat, if Steph Curry returns.
“Jimmy is going to have to be aggressive. I love when he’s a point forward and they’re clicking on all cylinders, but to be on the road in Game 2, you look for your guy – your franchise guy, your No. 1 option – to set the tone early; Jimmy didn’t do that, but I believe he will do that at home [in] Game 3 or Game 4. We will be talking about Jimmy Butler. He will be going viral because he will have a 40-piece night.”
The six-time NBA All-Star earned the “Playoff Jimmy” nickname for his postseason prowess. But Butler didn’t look like his old Miami Heat self for the Warriors in Game 2.
Without Curry, who won’t return until Game 6 at the earliest, per ESPN’s Shams Charania, Golden State needs Butler to ditch his Robin act for Batman. Butler showed in the first-round series against the Houston Rockets that he is capable of scoring 25-plus points – a feat he did three times in the opening round – and must make that level of production the norm while Curry is out.
Butler, who was too unselfish in Game 2, can’t approach the rest of the series as a pass-first facilitator, which he worrisomely described after Thursday’s loss.
“I don’t have a burden or expectation,” Butler told reporters postgame about potentially feeling pressure to score with Curry sidelined. “I don’t. I play basketball the right way. I will continue to play basketball the right way. If that time comes where your people that are saying whatever, [I’m] supposed to score 40 or 43, whatever the case may be, I’m capable of it. I can do it, but I love making sure that my guys are comfortable, passing the ball to them, taking the right shots at the right time.
“But we’ll talk about it, if that may be needed. Who knows.”
Perkins talked about “it.” And Dub Nation and probably the entire basketball world “knows” Butler must activate “Jimmy Buckets” mode.
The real question, however, is whether the 35-year-old, who repeatedly has expressed gratitude for being a sidekick in the Bay compared to a centerpiece in South Beach, has another legendary, team-carrying run left in the tank.
Golden State’s championship hopes seem to rest on Butler’s shoulders.
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