It was an unusual sight all around for the Golden State Warriors on Monday night, not so much because the team continued its now NBA-high eight-game winning streak–this one was a 138-87 drubbing of the New Orleans Pelicans–but because injured forward Jimmy Butler decided to take up a new role. With the blowout and with Butler getting a bit antsy having missed the entirety of this season as he ramps up for a return from January’s ACL surgery, the team was decidedly relaxed. And so Butler took up a clipboard and decided to coach alongside Steve Kerr, sending his team a telling message about star guard Stephen Curry: “PASS TO STEPH.
It was a good idea, and deep down, those three words are the secret to Kerr’s coaching success. But the one thing was that on Monday, the Warriors did not get much chance to pass to Steph, because the game was such a blowout he was able to rest. Curry scored 25 points on 6-for-10 shooting, and did it in just 21 minutes of play.
Warriors’ Jimmy Butler ‘Gotta Go Home’ After Stephen Curry Advice
Kerr, of course, was a bit humbled by the simplicity of Butler’s message, knowing that when it comes down to it, that has been the Warriors’ philosophy offensively for about 15 years now. After the game, Kerr said he suggested that Butler dress like a coach for the Monday night game, as a joke, but when tipoff came around, there was Butler in coaching clothes.
“I don’t know how this happened,” Kerr said.
Teammate De’Anthony Melton, knowing that Butler is a bit of a troll, said of the team’s new “assistant” coach, “Nah, nah. He gotta go home. Next time he do something like that, he need to go back home or do something else because he trippin’.”
As for star rookie Yaxel Lendeborg (who had 23 points, seven rebounds and four assists), he also had some fun at Butler’s expense after the game: “I didn’t like his advice. I didn’t like it out there. He looked very weird wearing the coaching stuff. I didn’t even notice that they all wear the same thing until today. So, I mean, I’m glad that he got to do it. I’m glad that he’s having fun.
“He said he was going to get a tech tonight. He didn’t. So shame on him, but it’s all good.”
Warriors Jimmy Butler Sends Blunt 3-Word Stephen Curry Statement