It is always difficult to choose players when they are placed in a start, bench and cut hypothetical scenario, but Robert Horry had an easy answer regarding the best scorers in the last decade or so.
The task usually becomes even more complicated when comparing their prime years, where each has strong claims, yet when Horry was asked to make such a decision between Oklahoma City Thunder’s Paul George, Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler and New York Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony, his reasoning left little room for debate.
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Most notably, without hesitation, he unapologetically chose to cut George before weighing his options between Butler and Melo.
Horry on who he would start between Butler and Anthony
George‘s tenure with the Thunder lasted for just two seasons.
He did attain an All-NBA Team nod in each and averaged as high as 28.0 points per game in one, while also leading the league in steals and appearing in over 76 games in both regular-season campaigns, yet team success evaded him.
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In both those years, OKC faced elimination in the first round of the playoffs.
Thus, for Horry, the lack of playoff success, combined with George’s relatively short stint, was a solid reason to cut him from the debate without much deliberation.
Melo played seven years for the Knicks, where he established himself as one of the best scorers during that era. Each year, he was an All-Star while earning two selections to the All-NBA Teams and also leading the league in scoring once. However, despite that individual success, Anthony‘s postseason success in New York was largely underwhelming, with the team’s best performance being a second-round finish.
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Lastly, Butler never rose as one of the MVP contenders during his time with the Heat, as he averaged 21.0 points per game over his six-year stay, but he also averaged 1.7 steals per game.
That two-way contribution and constant elevation in production in the postseason enabled him to carry Miami to two Finals appearances.
As a result, this was the deciding factor on why he chose Butler to start over Anthony.
Given how Butler took accountability for his performance on both ends of the court and carried the Heat on his back as the underdog season after season, it transformed him into one of the most reliable leaders this league has ever seen.
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“Jimmy Butler? I’m starting,” Horry said over Knicks’ Melo. “You know me, I need you to give me something on the other end of the floor. So that’s the only reason. You know, Jimmy is a two-way player.’I think about Playoff Jimmy. He’s a different motherf—ker.”
Heat-Butler was more efficient than Knicks-Melo
Safe to say that as a pure scorer, Anthony was superior to most players of his generation, but his brilliance was largely confined to his own performance, especially when considering how the Knicks managed just one playoff series win under Melo’s leadership.
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By contrast, Butler’s determination and refusal to bow under pressure allowed him to lead underdog Heat teams to unexpected triumphs. Twice, he eliminated the star-studded, more experienced and better-knit Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals, showcasing a gritty and relentless mentality.
Precisely, this is why Horry views Butler as one of the most dominant ‘alphas’ leaders that have ever graced this league.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 13, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.