Jimmy Butler’s Immediate Impact Through 10 Games
Despite a hobbled Steph Curry, who was listed as questionable going into Tuesday night’s contest coming off a tweaked ankle the prior night, Curry made the most of his lone visit to Madison Square Garden by posting 28 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Leading the Warriors 114-102 victory over the Knicks.
The win improves Curry’s record at the world’s most famous arena in New York City to an impressive 12-1 (the one loss coming in his 54 point performance back in 2013). The bigger story comes with Golden State improving to 9-1 in games with Jimmy Butler in the lineup.
Butler’s been a revelation in the Warriors' success since being acquired from Miami at the trade deadline. Though none of Butler’s statistics are eye-popping, his impact on the court simply cannot be stressed enough.
All things with the Warriors start and end with Curry and how far he will ultimately take them. The soon-to-be 37-year-old point guard seems to be the one benefitting from the presence of Butler more than anyone else. Before the Butler trade, Curry was averaging just 22.4 points per game and is now averaging just under 30 points a game with 29.4.
Alleviating the offensive pressure, by not having Curry being double-teamed and ball denied constantly by defenses has immediately produced results, and has Curry looking like his vintage self. The performance that encapsulated this was last week against the Orlando Magic with Curry dropping a season high 56 points, going 12-19 from deep.
Having Butler on the floor often forces opposing defenses to throw their larger two-guard onto Butler rather than Steph to match his size, which also helps create even better looks for Curry.
Butler’s offensive averages are not as high as they once were during his peak all-star years with the Heat, but his style of play remains the same, and once again leans into advantages for veteran players like Curry and Draymond Green.
With Butler’s ability to get to the free throw line with ease and at such a high-volume, the stoppages of play work in Curry’s favor giving him a few extra minutes of rest, something that could be pivotal down the stretch, especially with the miles accumulated moving off the ball.
Not only is the offense benefitting, the defensive side of the ball has been just as good, if not better. Since Butler’s first game on Feb. 8, the Warriors are second in defensive rating along with fourth in offensive rating.
The trade has given new life to the core members of the dynasty, with Curry and Green each acknowledging this might be their last best chance at competing for a championship, and they are all in.
It’s safe to say, for two guys in their late thirties, having something more to play for than being the last team to make the play-in tournament holds some value, and it has reflected in their play as of late.
When the Butler initially occurred, a lot of people were skeptical for valid reasons, one sure thing was that it makes one of the possible final seasons of Curry’s prime a lot more compelling when you surround him with players with championship pedigrees that fit his timeline.
(Photo credit: Michael Reaves/Getty Images)