How Jimmy Butler is elevating the Warriors as a title threat

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This version of the Warriors always needed something. Its formula relied heavily on elite defense and the magic of Stephen Curry, with little else in the way of dependable offense; even when it exploded out of the gate with a 12-3 start, Golden State scored at a bottom-five clip whenever Steph took a seat.

That was the idea behind the Warriors’ mid-December trade for Dennis Schröder: to try to inject new life into what had become a bottom-third offense, and to make the latest in a long line of attempts to stanch the bleeding whenever Curry stepped away. But despite the post-trade insistence that a high-pick-and-roll playmaker would be a beneficial addition to a team that under head coach Steve Kerr has — sometimes obstinately — eschewed overreliance on the most popular play in basketball, Schröder didn’t fit in, averaging 10.6 points per game on 38/32/74 shooting splits. The Warriors were outscored by 9.9 points per 100 non-garbage-time possessions with Schröder on the floor, according to Cleaning the Glass, continuing to score at a basement-dwelling level when he operated while Curry sat.

The Schröder acquisition was a half-measure, and by the time the Feb. 6 trade deadline rolled around — with the Warriors sitting at .500, tied for ninth in the West — it was clear that a half-measure wouldn’t do. No: If you want to move the needle, you need a needle-mover.

And whatever else he might be, Jimmy Butler is most certainly one of those.

After handling the Hornets on Monday, Golden State enters Tuesday’s visit to Madison Square Garden to take on the Knicks at 8-2 since adding Butler, and 8-1 in games in which he plays. (He missed Saturday’s loss to the 76ers with back spasms.) The post-trade uptick includes the Warriors’ first five-game winning streak since the opening weeks of the season, before injuries and inconsistency sent them on the months-long spiral that clarified their need for a big swing.

Butler hasn’t overwhelmed opponents with superstar production, averaging a fairly modest 16 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.2 steals in 30.2 minutes per game in Golden State. (I say…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/how-jimmy-butler-is-elevating-the-warriors-as-a-title-threat-192338613.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2025-03-04 19:23:00

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