Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green perfectly summed up the impact of Jimmy Butler‘s addition using just two words.
“He’s a franchise changer,” Green said of Butler. “He’s done that everywhere he’s gone, and he is helping revitalize what we got here. The belief amongst this team, now that he’s arrived, as opposed to what it was before he got here, it’s night and day.”
As promised, Butler has dramatically improved the Warriors’ trajectory this season. They have won three of their first four games with Butler, including a 105-98 win over their conference rival Houston Rockets, who are currently No. 4, on Thursday, Feb. 13, to improve to 28-27 and jumped into a tie for the ninth seed.
The Jimmy Butler Effect
Before Butler arrived, the Warriors were out of the play-in picture in the West with a 25-26 record. They had a predictable offense that has only generated 111.5 points per game and a stale defense that has allowed opponents to score an average of 111.9 points.
During this 3-1 run with Butler in the fold, the Warriors are averaging 117.3 points and only allowing 107.8 per game — a plus-9.5-point differential. They have the fourth-best defensive rating (106.7) since Butler’s arrival.
Green is no longer surprised.
Butler has had this effect in his past stops in Minnesota, Philadelphia and Miami.
Butler has been a two-way force for the Warriors. He’s adding a new dimension to their offense that has become predictable with only Stephen Curry carrying the brunt of the load.
Now, Curry has Butler to share that big responsibility. They have been playing off each other.
“He dominates the paint, he usually makes the right play, he draws a crowd and a great passer,” Curry said of Butler.
Jimmy Butler ‘Sick to Stomach’ After Losing to Mavericks
Butler rued his shortcomings in the Warriors’ 111-107 loss to the shorthanded Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, Feb. 12, that blemished his record as a Warrior.
“We should be 4-0,” Butler told reporters after beating the Rockets. “I am not going to lie to you. I have been sick to my stomach because of it since I got here. But we are going to figure it out. We are going to go streaking.”
Curry and the Warriors were hoping to get a motivated Butler when they gambled on trading for him despite his messy exit in Miami. The early returns have been promising as Butler, signed to a two-year, $112 million extension, is disgruntled no more.
Butler is averaging 21.3 points on 44.6% shooting with 7.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists through his first four games with the Warriors.
Curry believes that the best of Butler has yet to come.
“We’re always just trying to continue to build chemistry — understand what he does well,” Curry told NBC Sports Bay Area after they beat the Rockets. “You can’t really rush him, and like the crazy thing is he’s still a little rusty. He would even tell you that. He’s trying to get back in game shape [after] he didn’t play consistently early in the season.
“So for him to get his legs underneath him and for us to understand what he does well — He dominates the paint, he usually makes the right play, he draws a crowd and a great passer — so if the game slows down, it’s another option to run our offense through to try to create good shots and not be so one-dimensional like we were.”
Draymond Green’s 2-Word Description of Jimmy Butler Says It All