The Golden State Warriors were eliminated from the postseason on Wednesday night, as they suffered a 121-110 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of their second-round series. They were without Stephen Curry for the most of the series as the four-time champion played just 13 minutes in Game 1 before suffering a Grade 1 hamstring strain.
While many expected Jimmy Butler to pick up the scoring load in his absence, the six-time All-Star had an underwhelming series. He averaged 20.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.2 blocks per game while shooting 43.0% from the field, 30.0% from three-point range and 75.0% from the free-throw line. Furthermore, he scored 20 points or less in four of the five games.
Miami Heat legend Udonis Haslem took aim at his former teammate during an appearance on ESPN's "First Take".
"As great as Jimmy is, the Playoff Jimmy thing has put Jimmy Butler in a conversation with guys that, maybe, are a little bit above Jimmy Butler," ESPN's Udonis Haslem stated Thursday. "And sometimes the expectations of Jimmy Butler are the Playoff Jimmy Butler expectations all the time and that might not necessarily be who Jimmy Butler is. Jimmy Butler is a very talented basketball player, but he will tell you, 'I'm not the most talented, I'm not the fastest'. He is a smart guy. He preys on weaknesses and mistakes... I think Jimmy Butler gave what he gave, but Jimmy Butler didn't have anything more to give against that team. And that's where you see the differences between other guys and Jimmy. Because I've seen guys guard LeBron (James) and no matter what you do, he gets his. I've seen guys guard (Dwyane Wade). No matter what you do, he gets his. Jayson Tatum, he gets his. Jaylen Brown, he gets his. Those guys get theirs no matter what you do. Jimmy Butler is not that unstoppable guy like those guys."
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Butler joined the Warriors at the trade deadline following a trade from the Heat, ending a nearly six-year tenure with the franchise. Haslem spent 20 years in Miami, including four years as teammates with the five-time All-NBA forward.
While the two made two trips to the NBA Finals together, they were also involved in a heated sideline argument during the 2021-22 season. Furthermore, Haslem serves as the Heat's vice president of basketball development so it is no surprise that he may not view Butler in the greatest light following the latter's tumultuous departure from the franchise earlier this season.
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