Each is 35 years old, is comfortable setting up on the block and prefers the midrange shot over the 3-pointer. Each is a six-time NBA All-Star. Each is a frequent visitor to the free-throw line. Each embraces having the ball late in close games.
Jimmy Butler III and DeMar DeRozan are old-school ballers who crave pressure, and their craftwork will be on display Thursday night when Butler and the Warriors face DeRozan and the Kings at Chase Center.
Coverage on NBC Sports Bay Area begins at 6 p.m. PT with Warriors Pregame, and Warriors Postgame immediately following the 7 p.m. TNT telecast.
The Warriors (37-28, sixth in the Western Conference) have been rejuvenated since Butler’s arrival, winning 12 of 14 games, with one of the losses coming when he sat out with back soreness. He’s averaging 17.6 points with Golden State, shooting 45.6 percent from the field and 88 percent from the line.
“He's very happy here,” coach Steve Kerr said Wednesday after practice. “He's very comfortable, we're winning almost every night with him. It’s been a great transition and a great fit for both sides.”
Butler’s biggest contribution might be the assistance he is providing for Stephen Curry and the mental fortitude with which he has imbued his younger teammates. The Warriors have raised their collective confidence, which has given them a mental edge previously missing. They’ve gone from thinking they can win to believing they will.
One of the ways that has manifested itself is at the line, where the Warriors were shooting the lowest percentage in the league before Butler and are No. 1 since. They used to hope. Now they expect.
Golden State Warriors
Sacramento (33-31, ninth in the West) was hoping for a similar boost when they traded for DeRozan last summer. The Compton, Calif. native had long been one of the league’s most productive and professional players and welcomed a fresh start in his home state.
He’s doing his part, averaging 22.1 points per game, shooting 48.4 percent from the field and 87.8 percent from the line. The Kings are 9-5 in “clutch games” since the new year largely because of DeRozan’s presence and production. He is third in the NBA in clutch field goals during that span.
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Few games within a game are more intriguing than when two similar offensive players confront each other. Those similarities are why several outlets, including ESPN, floated the possibility last month of them being traded for each other.
The Warriors are delighted that never came to pass.
