Gary Payton II left an amazing impression on Jimmy Butler amid the Golden State Warriors securing a playoff berth.
The dynamic duo of Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler were the heroes in the Golden State Warriors’ 121-116 Play-In tournament win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
After all, the two superstars combined for a total of 75 points as the Grizzlies had no answer for them during their recent clash.
But on top of that, a couple of role players also shone in the matchup. According to Butler, the list includes Gary Payton II.
Jimmy Butler gives Gary Payton II his flowers
Head coach Steve Kerr has gone through some major changes in his rotations in hopes of clinching a playoff berth this season.
While Jonathan Kuminga’s exclusion has been the biggest point of discussion, it has allowed coach Kerr to reward role players with quality minutes.
Payton II benefited from it as he played 20 minutes against the Grizzlies. In the postgame conference, Butler had nothing but praise for his teammate.
“He’s gonna be a reason that we win a couple of games in the playoffs. What I love most about GP is, he makes sure everybody’s calm,” Butler claimed.
Butler’s comments came in light of GP’s 12-point performance against the Grizzlies. The 32-year-old also recorded 2 rebounds and 1 assist alongside his double-digit scoring night.
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Butler on Payton II: ‘It’s like he’s been in this league 15 of 16 years’
Jimmy Buckets has seen his fair share of players throughout his 14-year stint in the league. Moreover, Butler has developed a reputation for praising only the hardest-working players on his team.
Butler further revealed how GP II calms the team down: “‘We gonna get the stop, we gonna get the bucket, we gotta execute,’ he’ll take and make some big shots, for sure get a big time dunks and get the crowd into the game, and then guard whoever you ask him to guard.”
“But more than anything, he’s poised, he’s calm, and it’s like he’s been in this league 15 of 16 years,” Butler concluded.
With the Warriors all set to take on the second-seeded Houston Rockets in the opening round, they would love to have this version of Payton II on the court throughout the series.
