If the NBA postseason has taught us anything, it’s that Jimmy Butler ascends to a different level when the stakes are as high as can be. For Texas A&M basketball fans in particular, it should come as no surprise to see Butler go on an absolute tear during the 2023 NBA Playoffs.
The Miami Heat star is currently averaging the third-most points per game of all scorers in the postseason (31.1) and his heroic efforts have pushed the Heat to a 2-0 commanding lead in the Eastern Conference Finals, as the series shifts to Miami.
But why should fans of the Maroon and White easily recognize the feats of Butler this postseason? After all, he didn’t play a single minute for Texas A&M during his collegiate career, right?
That’s true, but so is the fact that Butler is nonetheless a disciple of Aggies coach Buzz Williams, who coached the Heat star from 2008-2011 at Marquette. So while casual basketball fans continue to be in awe of Butler’s grit and high IQ in the NBA postseason, this comes as no surprise to those who have witnessed the effects of a Buzz Williams-coached team.
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) May 20, 2023
In the three seasons with Williams and Butler together at Marquette, the Golden Eagles reached the NCAA Tournament every year with their farthest run coming in the 2010-11 season. Butler and Williams would go on to advance to the Sweet 16, where they would fall to North Carolina 81-63.
In his three seasons with Williams at Marquette, Butler averaged 12.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.7 APG, and 1.1 SPG on 50.8 percent shooting from the field. After averaging 19.6 minutes per game in his first year, Butler would go on to increase his scoring averages to 14.7 PPG and 15.7 PPG in his sophomore and junior seasons.
Williams’ coaching success speaks for itself (329-202, 62.0% winning percentage, 9 NCAA Tournament appearances), and his style is predicated on players who have a passion for impacting both ends of the floor. Attacking the basket and putting points on the board will only go so far if you don’t have the same tenacity to get a stop at the other end.
It makes too much sense, then, to see the traits that powered Butler during his time under Williams at Marquette translate seamlessly into the NBA, and on the highest stakes of the playoffs no less.
And so for Aggie fans, if there are slim pickings when it comes to who to root for in the NBA playoffs, no one can challenge you on rolling with Jimmy Butler, a de-factor disciple from Buzz Williams.
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