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Kerr highlights key attributes of Butler that bring to mind Iguodala originally published on NBC Sports Bay Area

Longtime Warriors coach Steve Kerr sees similarities between recently acquired star forward Jimmy Butler and retired – and soon-to-be-celebrated – wing Andre Iguodala.

Both players are renowned for their two-way defensive prowess and intelligence on the floor as “winning players,” making the parallels distinct.

Kerr detailed what truly ties Butler’s and Iguodala’s impacts together during an interview with KNBR’s Greg Silver and Greg Papa on Friday.

“I do,” Kerr told Silver and Papa about seeing similarities between Butler and Iguodala. “And most of it is in the combination of the size and length with the brain. Jimmy never turns the ball over. Every possession is measured, he never gets in a rush. And Andre was the same way. Andre never turned it over, he always played on two feet. …

“I’m not sure a lot of our younger players really understand what (playing on two feet) means, but when you watch Jimmy Butler, it really is clear – he makes a jump stop, he pivots, he sees every option and then he makes the right pass. He never gets in a rush, versus going off one foot and only having one option and leaving yourself vulnerable in midair.”

Butler has rejuvenated the middling 2024-25 Warriors and brings a confident flare as a six-time NBA All-Star and five-time All-NBA selection, never backing down from any assignment on both ends of the floor while being a prominent leader. Iguodala, when he signed with Golden State in 2013, might not have had the same résumé as Butler, but he definitely carried the same intangibles and leadership qualities, in addition to a similarly relentless, gritty play style which ultimately led to golden results.

Iguodala won four titles with the Warriors and helped them reach six overall as a franchise. Ironically, he also reached a seventh career NBA Finals as Butler’s teammate on the Miami Heat in 2020-21.

Kerr has made it clear how much Iguodala – who will have his jersey hung in the Chase Center rafters on Sunday – means to him and how exciting it is for Golden State to have a similar character in Butler rostered.

“When you have a player like Jimmy or Andre, who is athletic and gifted and fundamentally sound, it’s really powerful, and that’s the comparison I see between those two,” Kerr concluded.

Kerr and the Warriors were quite successful with Iguodala and will honor him appropriately. Kerr must be extremely confident in what Butler can help the organization accomplish, given the comparisons the coach sees between the pair of big-name Golden State forwards.

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