At every stop of his 14-year, five-team NBA journey, Jimmy Butler has left behind footprints and trails of success of some sort, largely through two superpowers: versatility, and an uncalmable competitive fire. On February 21, 2025, the Golden State Warriors — and their opponents — got to see a smoothly-fused blend of both during one violation-forcing defensive sequence. Finding all-world bucket-getters at every turn, Butler smoothly switches from DeMar DeRozan to Zach LaVine, moving with the wind as he navigates through a pick-and-roll battle against former fellow Windy City greats. Anything but shy as he covers LaVine’s drive-and-pump tightly enough to be a second forearm sleeve, Butler shifts his attention to a third could-be scorer in Domantas Sabonis, before charging back to LaVine, forcing a 24-second runout. For a player with statistics that don’t flawlessly paint the picture of his all-around impact, Butler’s box score did its best here; versatile in the win, Butler produced a 17-point, three-rebound, seven-assist, three-steal contribution, and, according to NBA tracking data, at least one defensive possession on 10 different Sacramento Kings. · Feb 22, 2025