Jimmy Butler Has Warriors Believing Again

LOS ANGELES – Draymond Green, his jersey still soaked from 34 grueling minutes in Golden State’s win over the Lakers, summed up what has changed since Jimmy Butler’s early February arrival: “Belief.” Butler, Green said, didn’t change the Warriors culture. He didn’t have to. This wasn’t Minnesota or Philadelphia. Even Miami. Golden State didn’t need a leader. It needed a player. It didn’t need Butler’s voice in the locker room. It needed his presence on the court.

They got it, and more. Thursday’s win improved Golden State to 19–2 with both Butler and Stephen Curry in the lineup. It kept the Warriors hold on the No. 5 spot in the Western Conference, though that hold is tenuous. Golden State is 1 ½ games behind Denver for the No. 3 seed. They are also just one game up on the Clippers for No. 8. Such is life in the West, where the standings are shaken up nightly.

But this is what the Warriors wanted. Opportunity. A fighting chance. Golden State was floundering before the Butler trade, good but not great, bad but not awful, destined, it seemed, to spend another of Green and Curry’s final years out of the championship mix. The two stars could have bellyached, could have demanded the front office push all its chips in for any kind of upgrade. They didn’t. Just give us a chance to play meaningful basketball, they asked. And the Warriors brass delivered.

“The way that we’re playing right now,” said Curry, “is reflective of what Jimmy’s brought to us.”

Butler scored 11 points in 36 minutes on Thursday. He didn’t attempt a shot until midway through the second quarter. Whatever. He contributed in other ways. Hounding LeBron James and Luka Doncic. Picking off passes (three steals) all over the floor. In the final minute, with the Lakers within seven, Butler bulldozed Austin Reaves to get to the free throw line. Two possessions later, he steered a Doncic drive into Green, who stripped Doncic on the way up.

“Did a great job,” said Green. “Drove him right down to me.”

Everyone expected Butler to be better than the malcontent he was in his final weeks in Miami. But few expected this. Butler has energized Curry and Green, which has lit a fuse that has burned through the roster.

“You can’t be one of the pillars of a franchise and they give you that opportunity at the points that we are in our career and you don’t give them everything that you have,” said Green. “And if we can do that then everyone else has to.”

At 35, Green isn’t just one of the NBA’s top defenders. He may be its best. There’s a beauty to witnessing Green play defense, like watching Will Hunting solve a math problem. When he’s not defending, he’s talking. When he’s not talking, he’s teaching. When he wasn’t deflecting passes he was showing Quinten Post and Brandin Podziemski how to defend certain plays. Victor Wembanyama’s midseason exit opened a lane for Defensive Player of the Year. Green is filling it.

“I’ve tried to take it upon myself to be the anchor of our defense,” said Green. “I like to be a disruptor.”

Curry likes to be a scorer and to this day, few are better. He scored 37 against the Lakers, which followed a 52-point outburst against Memphis two nights earlier. His numbers have ticked up since the Butler trade. Butler isn’t the floor spacer Klay Thompson was but he creates mismatches in the post and is a willing passer.

“He’s such a connector,” said Curry. “And he has an amazing presence on both ends of the floor. [He] makes the right play and the vibe of what our team is right now is not only what he’s done for me, Draymond in terms of a superstar doing what he does, but he’s elevated everybody else. And that’s a big deal.”

Indeed. The starting lineup of Curry, Green, Butler, Podziemski and Moses Moody is 13-0 this season. Podziemski had 22 points in the first half on Thursday, finishing with 28. Moody chipped in 13. Jonathan Kuminga stuffed the stat sheet offensively (18 points, nine-rebounds, four assists) while leading the effort against James and Doncic on the other end. The Warriors have been challenging Kuminga to step up, Green said. This version of him “takes this team to another level.”

A championship level? No one is saying that. Not publicly, anyway. “Step one is get a playoff series,” said Curry. “Step two is to try to win four games. And then figure it out from there.” But the belief is there. Golden State loves the intensity of these final regular season games, viewing them as good preparation for its collection of young stars who have little postseason experience. And few teams have more proven playoff performers.

That includes Butler, whose game is built for May and June. He powered two Miami teams to the Finals and finally has the talent around him to chase one more. He’s a low post scoring, free throw hunting, physical defender on a team that needs all of it. He has given what remains of a fading dynasty a chance to finish on top.

“He’s just brought this belief to this group that we feel like we can win again,” said Green. “And we’re playing like that.”

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