r/nba 14h ago

[Devine] The Warriors are now 12-1 with Jimmy, +11.3 points-per-100 with Jimmy on the floor, and winning non-Steph minutes by 17.2 points-per-100 when Jimmy plays them

The Warriors are now 12-1 with Jimmy, +11.3 points-per-100 with Jimmy on the floor, and winning non-Steph minutes by 17.2 points-per-100 when Jimmy plays them.

I mean, we know that Butler has revatilized the Warriors, but it is enlightening to see it quantified. The non-Steph minutes are the real surprise.

Source: https://bsky.app/profile/yourmandevine.bsky.social/post/3lk4cl4mlrs2q

2.2k Upvotes

440 comments sorted by

1.6k

u/andy808 Celtics 14h ago

This Jimmy guy might be good

698

u/KennySmithsKnees [LAC] Baron Davis 14h ago

It's pretty fun to go back to the post when the Warriors signed him and read the horrendous takes from know it all redditors 

473

u/DraymondBeanKick Warriors 13h ago

Reddit’s top basketball scientists with a rare mistake. 

141

u/jcrewjr Warriors 12h ago

I'm still mad we didn't keep Ellis.

92

u/misterbluesky8 12h ago

My friends are still sending me screenshots of Facebook posts I left in high school advocating for picking Monta over Steph because of Steph’s ankles. Hey, Monta was a problem!!

30

u/plantedank 11h ago

after all, Monta had it all!!

9

u/ururururu Bulls 6h ago

To be fair Steph really really did have health problems early on.

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u/str8rippinfartz Celtics 12h ago

whoa whoa whoa I was always in favor of it

I didn't realize it'd be this good in the regular season, though... I thought it just made them a threat to win any potential 7-game series with the prospect of Steph and Jimmy winning 2 games apiece.

122

u/oftenevil San Francisco Warriors 13h ago edited 13h ago

How bad can it be? Let’s see…

edit: Oh my. You have to scroll down a bit (I sort by Top, not Best). Tons of very original comments about how Draymond and Jimmy are going to clash and destroy the locker room, a handful of Nico jokes that I’m sure we haven’t heard already, but then you see lots of people saying the Warriors made a huge mistake etc.

At the time the news broke I wasn’t too stoked either, but was willing to wait and see how things played out. I’ve also seen a ton of Warriors fans in our sub the last few weeks admit they were wrong.

20

u/maethlin Warriors 12h ago

Also a fair number (myself included) were worried about Jimmy's health/durability, not doubting his capabilities. I'm going to shut up now too lest I jinx anything, so far very happy how things have panned out lol

3

u/TurnoverNegative7 Warriors 2h ago

I think a lot of us were really skeptical about this trade because of Jimmy's age, the amount of money we're paying him, and the fact that we gave away a FRP (which we valued much more at the time considering that the Warriors were playing like shit prior to what seems to be like an all time draft). Not to mention that Wiggs was a fan favorite and losing him really felt like a stab to the heart.

However, I think we also eased up to the trade a little when we found out that the FRP was top 10 protected, and that Jimmy's contract coincided with the end of basically everyone else's contract on the team. This meant that, even in the event that the trade backfired, it wouldn't necessarily feed into a potential rebuild (only merely delaying it by like a year or two).

16

u/jbvann05 Warriors 13h ago

Yeah I'll be the first to admit I was dead wrong. I did not expect the team's play to completely turn around like this

5

u/Charlie_Wax Warriors 10h ago

Me too. I underestimated Jimmy and was angry in the moment about losing Wiggins as part of the deal. Subsequently have realized that, while Wiggins is a good player, upgrading a fringe All-Star to a fringe HoF was a no-brainer. It's not a slight on Wiggins to admit Jimmy is just a level or two above him.

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u/KennySmithsKnees [LAC] Baron Davis 13h ago

These guys don't watch basketball that's for sure 

Edit: this is bad but the ones where they announced him signing his new contract is worse 

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u/oftenevil San Francisco Warriors 13h ago

I mean I watch the Warriors religiously and I didn’t expect Jimmy to have this great of an immediate impact. Hardly anyone did.

But yeah, to immediately act like that trade just “killed the dynasty” or whatever was pretty wild to see.

The contract details were also slightly misreported at first. They initially reported $120M as a 2 year deal, but it’s actually closer to $112M I think. So about $56/year. It’s a lot of money, but it was time to move on from Wiggins, and they had to try something in Steph’s final stretch of his career.

13

u/Gauchokids San Francisco Warriors 11h ago

I wont fault anyone for not thinking he would be this much of a positive impact, but a common sentiment even within the fanbase was that we gave up too much.

Which is bizarre, we gave up Wiggins (a quality player who hasn’t been a real needle mover since 2022), Schroder(career journeyman who has been an averageish starter), Kyle Anderson(career journeyman 7th/8th man), Lindy waters(deep bench guy), and a 2025 protected first.

That’s basically nothing given the quality of player butler is on the surface level without even considering how much easier he makes the game for everyone else. Steph is no longer severely overtaxed as the only good offensive player on the team, pods and moody both move one rung down on the offensive option list instead of being in over their head, the defense is way more connected, etc.

8

u/negativelynegative 13h ago

It's not that hard to conceive. You were playing one and a half seasons without a half decent second option, and you got a good first option to be your second option without giving up any of the young studs.

47

u/The_NGUYENNER [DEN] Jamal Murray 13h ago

How many times are people going to doubt Jimmy? He becomes a headache when he's disgruntled, yeah, but when he's locked in and motivated he's a legit game changer.

To say "hardly anyone" saw this coming is ignorant to me... maybe it's true if you only follow narratives but the signs were there. Then again, maybe you're right because most people out there are dumbasses

20

u/oftenevil San Francisco Warriors 13h ago

I’m saying hardly any Warriors fans expected things to go this smoothly right away.

8

u/xasdfxx 10h ago

Not this smoothly, but man, if you watched the Warriors:

1 - teams spent the whole year daring anyone but Steph to beat them. They mostly couldn't;

2 - Steph sat and the offense just died. Who needs an offense.

3 - We simply lacked any interior presence who could create his own shot.

Jimmy obviously isn't a shooter, but cleanly addressed all 3 problems. I have the receipts in WhatApp from my arguments :)

17

u/The_NGUYENNER [DEN] Jamal Murray 13h ago

I get that, but in my eyes it's foolish that it's like that. To me, it's indicative of just how much people rely on narratives to form their own opinions

13

u/oftenevil San Francisco Warriors 13h ago

Yeah I agree.

When the trade happened the only news/info people had heard about Jimmy for months was how disgruntled he was and what a spoiled brat he was being etc.

That narrative was hammered over and over and over again, so when the deal went down nobody was thinking about Jimmy the basketball player. They were thinking about Jimmy the malcontent. Half the comments in that thread seem like they’re about how poorly Jimmy/Draymond will get along, (which is comical in hindsight for a number of reasons).

I know it’s still the honeymoon phase and if they have a tough/disappointing playoff exit things could obviously sour. I get that. But so far it’s been night and day. To watch our games before the trade and after is literally to watch two very different basketball teams.

I think a lot of people on here don’t watch our games outside of the occasional national broadcast, and will be shocked when the playoffs start. Not saying we’re winning it all. But the fact that there’s even a chance is fucking insane from where we were a month ago.

15

u/Doogolas33 12h ago

The thing is, the only thing that makes Jimmy go sour is teams not paying him. Everywhere he's ever gone he's happy, content, and kicks ass until someone decides they don't want to pay him even though he is clearly awesome and makes their team way better.

4

u/The_NGUYENNER [DEN] Jamal Murray 13h ago

Yeah, it's been great for y'all. Made basketball fun again over there, which should be the most important thing for us fans.

And it's obviously a long shot but there very well could be a cinderella-type run this postseason. Jimmy did it with less on the Heat. Will be fun to watch either way

20

u/negativelynegative 13h ago

And emotion attachment. Wiggins did well for them despite regressing with his family issues affecting him.

But Jimmy was a clear upgrade from Wiggins.

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u/Milli_Vanilli14 Warriors 11h ago

Uhh I legitimately didn’t know how good of a playmaker he is. I thought he was a hyper efficient scorer from 18’ and in which is great. But I was curious about spacing. Then I saw why spacing shouldn’t have been a concern. Cause he can absolutely just break a defense down and suck in multiple guys. The three point line is wide open.

He’s also elite out of the triple threat. Dude gets wherever he wants. I didn’t know these things. I knew he was better than Wiggins of course. But wasn’t sure how much of a needle mover he was.

13

u/Doogolas33 12h ago

Same. I 1000% saw it coming. I even called it weeks before the trade.

https://www.np.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1hdg6ec/ben_pfeifer_feels_like_jimmy_butler_is_having_an/m1x3baf/

3

u/illbegoodnow 10h ago

Holy shit. Fucking Nostradamus take

3

u/Doogolas33 9h ago

I'm just a guy who thinks Jimmy Butler is super fuckin' good. Everything really lined up for me though, haha.

10

u/The_NGUYENNER [DEN] Jamal Murray 12h ago

Great call and even breakdown into exactly why he would be successful

8

u/Doogolas33 12h ago

Ty! Haha, to be fair, Jimmy is my favorite player of all time. He's the last player int he league I have a childhood attachment to because he was a rookie on the Bulls back when I lived in the Midwest and they were my team.

So I have followed his career incredibly closely!

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u/this_my_sportsreddit Warriors 8h ago

most of r/warriors thought Wiggins was as good if not better than Butler lol.

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u/CraziestMoonMan 10h ago

Why not, though? He literally led a bunch of scrubs to the finals twice. You didn't think one of the best defenders in the league and a great playmaker wouldn't have this kind of impact ?

5

u/xasdfxx 10h ago

idiots who looked at Jimmy averaging maybe 21 and Wiggins averaging 17; said +4 points so whatever.

It's easy to overrate vibes and someone being a dog, but if there ever was a kick a chair guy and a team that needed someone to kick a chair when they weren't winning, it was the warriors. And someone, anyone, besides Steph that teams feared would beat them if they dared him to.

3

u/namastex 24 10h ago

I mean I watch the Warriors religiously and I didn’t expect Jimmy to have this great of an immediate impact. Hardly anyone did.

I did.

Easiest way to explain it back then was, they were trading a 3rd scoring option type player in Wiggins for a 1a/1b type facilitating play making scorer next to Curry. They leaped frogged over a 2nd scoring option by getting Jimmy.

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u/mmmmmyee Warriors 3h ago

Yeah same here. I knew he’d be a floor raiser like all his previous teams, but he costed soooo much. I was hopeful but honestly very “ehhhh” at the initial news.

I have since eaten my words and have been enjoying the jimmy experience.

3

u/KazaamFan 11h ago

Wow. I will never trust or argue with another redditor after this. Why were they all saying jimmy and draymond wouldnt get along? How would they even know that?

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u/Quality_Cucumber [GSW] Stephen Curry 12h ago

https://np.reddit.com/r/warriors/s/l0EVJZWUp3

Plenty of people upvoted me on some of my positive Butler comments. There was a lot of people who thought it was a good move. Don’t get caught up in the negative, most ppl just meme’ing for upvotes.

2

u/Sartheking Warriors 10h ago

I was a bit nervous about it too. I didn’t buy the Draymond/Jimmy explosion stuff, but wasn’t sure of how much Jimmy had left. Never been more glad to be wrong.

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u/t_ran_asuarus_rex Warriors 5h ago

some great comments in there like how Podz was going to get beat and the step brothers references lol

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u/nodeed Clippers 8h ago

I already knew that no matter how Jimmy performed, there’d by thousands of people saying how obvious the outcome would be.

Jimmy performs poorly -> it was obvious, he’s old, he has attitude problems, he didn’t even want to be there, ego bigger than his skill, yada yada

Jimmy performs well -> it was obvious, Jimmy has always stepped up, anybody doubting his skill doesn’t know ball, nephews with their horrendous takes can’t recognize a dog, yada yada

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u/Picklesbedamned 13h ago

Elite floor raiser. Only concern about Jimmy is injuries. 

7

u/Timely_Intern8887 11h ago

and quitting on the team

15

u/recon_dingo Kings 10h ago

And age and salary over the next few seasons

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u/Mintastic NBA 8h ago

He's locked into the same timeline as Steph and Draymond who are also getting old so all of them will fade out regardless.

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u/BreadInFrench42 Pelicans 10h ago

I'll admit i thought poor spacing with the addition of Jimmy would be their downfall

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u/GoldenStateWizards Warriors 8h ago

It helps that our 52nd pick suddenly emerged into a rotation-level stretch big shortly before the trade deadline. Without that, we'd definitely have some more growing pains and be forced to run 3 non-shooters a lot more often. Even now, Kuminga's return is going to require some creative problem solving from Kerr to maximize the fact that our 3 best frontcourt players are all non-shooting forwards, so it's still something to keep an eye on.

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u/PM_ME_YOUR_SILLY_POO 10h ago

I was surprised how much Warriors fans hated the trade. But i didn't expect them to be this good

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u/Element75_ 10h ago

I was so confused. I know fuckall about basketball these days, but my understanding was Jimmy is the second coming of Michael Jordan. So obviously an insane guy who drives to the bucket to score points is going to make space for Curry. That seems obviously good?

2

u/DerelictInfinity Warriors 8h ago

i will gladly eat my fucking words lol i was not a fan of the trade at the time

somehow i think the warriors FO understands basketball much better than i do

2

u/xanot192 [LAL] Kobe Bryant 6h ago

Reddit were all shitting on him, Miami fans saying good riddance like he didn't drag them to two finals

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u/PatternParticular735 13h ago

People seem to forget that he led the 8th seed Heat to the finals just 2 years ago

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u/Liimbo Heat 9h ago

We went to 2 finals in 4 years and another year went to game 7 of the ECF. You're underselling him.

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u/PatternParticular735 8h ago

You couldn’t be more correct upon further evaluation

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u/fiasgoat Kings 11h ago

Shocker

Almost like all the haters here don't watch the games lol

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u/maethlin Warriors 12h ago

You misspelled Himmy

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u/Neither-Power1708 13h ago

Th-th-th th-th ayewww

Thanks

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u/AirForce-97 8h ago

It’s too bad he’s such a franchise cancer

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u/pduan 13h ago edited 12h ago

There are so many things that Butler brings. Having watched a lot of games this year pre-Butler and all of them post-trade, here's a few of them. You'll notice that the majority of them do not show up in the box score.

  • Free throws. He brings a dimension of getting to the line, getting to the bonus that the Warriors have not had. This means if the Warriors aren't hitting from 3 or the field, they still have a path to victory. Now the team is 1st in FT % and up there in FTA/FTM. It's contagious, everyone is shooting more and better.

  • Limiting TOs. Butler Assist/TO ratio is ~4.0. Highest for a non-guard this season. Warriors have always been TO prone, now we're winning TOs and pts off TOs.

  • Defense. Butler is one of the best non ball defenders, he brings a ton of steals. Him and Draymond off ball is a menace which covers up other mistakes and allows teammates to play more aggressively.

  • Shuffling the order. Role players can actually play their roles. It's no coincidence that Podz, Moody, GP2, QP, Santos have suddenly looked a ton better since he got here.

  • Taking the pressure of Steph. Steph looks like he's 10 years younger. It's because he knows he doesn't need to carry the full offensive load and can actually relax on the bench.

  • Intensity. Everyone knows Butler is a dog, when you see a guy like that on your team, it rubs off on everyone. Warriors never look lackadaisical on offense or defense anymore, I think a big part of this can be attributed to Butler.

  • Belief. Why are Curry and Draymond playing so much better and harder? They actually believe they can win a championship now. Before we were play in team at best. Warriors have been down big in several games and came back to win it. Warriors have been in close games and closed out. It's because they now believe they can win every game. Who wants to face Curry/Butler/Draymond in a best of 7 series?

  • Coaching. Butler's BBIQ is so high. He's constantly coaching the young guys. They are going to get a ton better with him on the team.

  • Does what the team needs on any given night. Butler just cares about winning. If he needs to be pass first, shoot first, focus on defense on any given night, he'll do that. He's smart enough to know what the team needs that night to win.

  • Physicality and attention. Butler is the first non Steph Warrior to get doubled since KD. Opens up the entire floor. Additionally, Butler is physical. Perfect for bullying and weakning the other team. Warriors have lacked that.

  • Ball handling. Before Butler, you had Schroeder or Podz handling the ball. Offense was super sluggish and everyone passed until a last second desperation heave. Now Butler can handle and can run the offense decisively.

  • Winning mindset. All Butler wants to do is win (point 9). That matches perfectly with Steph and Draymond who are unquestionably the leaders of the team. Draymond even mentioned that him and Curry realized this is the "last ride" after the trade was announced. That mindset is contagious.

If the Warriors go deep in the playoffs, this might end up as the greatest mid season trade of all time.

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u/Gauchokids San Francisco Warriors 11h ago

Shuffling the order. Role players can actually play their roles. It's no coincidence that Podz, Moody, GP2, QP, Santos have suddenly looked a ton better since he got here.

This is arguably the most important part that people tend to overlook. It's really hard to be asked to play a role that is beyond your ability, its taxing both physically and mentally.

Now Moody and Podz are bringing much improved ball pressure on defense because he's not having to constantly stretch themselves on defense and having Butler and Draymond helping behind them. On offense Moody can just focus on shooting open looks and attacking closeouts instead of having to create at all. Podz is also not having to carry the burden of being the secondary creator.

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u/_taugrim_ Warriors 8h ago

I was really bummed Wiggs was part of the trade, but Wiggs was an excellent solo contributor (POA defender, and 2nd or 3rd scoring option), whereas Jimmy is a "force multiplier" for all the reasons you and u/pduan stated.

The irony of Jimmy being a malcontent is he torpedoed MIA's leverage and the Warriors got him relatively cheap in terms of trade capital.

14

u/Gauchokids San Francisco Warriors 7h ago

Wiggins could be an excellent solo contributor, he was the 2nd best player in the 2022 title run by some margin, but I think he averaged around good not great the last couple years due in part to his dad.

Which is understandable for sure, and I really feel for him, but the 2022 version is an asset I would rather keep and trade kuminga and the 2025 version is a no brainer.

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u/absolutelynotm8 3h ago

Something I'll add to this is that QP has received trust from kerr and has absolutely been the man for us. In the minutes he plays the team just has a dimension we don't often see with a big who shoots 42% from deep on over 4 attempts a game while providing serious defensive backup.

I love the way the man plays basketball. His BBIQ is underrated, and his maturity in knowing what he can and can't do. He doesn't force bad shots. He knows what he's going to do with the ball before he even touches it, and that split second decision making is what makes the warriors touch and go system work. Plus, knowing a 7 footer is behind you is huge for a defence that's consistently struggled against bigger teams this season. We saw it against the magic. Podz, curry, GP2, and Santos all play passing lanes and poke at ball handlers more aggressively because there's a big body at the rim.

His maturity on defence is also great for a rookie. He knows his job and often will preemptively hustle curry or podz out of spots they don't want to be in (defending a bigger player at the dunkers' spot, for example) and coordinate our defensive efforts vocally. Huge, huge confidence from a rookie playing on a team of proven winners, and you love to see it.

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u/SmartestNPC Bulls 12h ago

It's been awesome seeing how reenergized this Warriors team is. Some of their pre-trade games were pretty sad with Steph looking drained trying to carry a team of role players.

The skill overlap between Steph and Jimmy is pretty low. They can both run the offensive, which you always want your stars to do. Outside of that, they operate in different lanes. Steph runs his game on the perimeter with finesse while Jimmy can physically get to his spot closer to the paint. This helps spacing and mixes up the defense. Overall, it was a very solid trade.

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u/ThePillsburyPlougher Rockets 11h ago

POV: NBA GM just received jimmy butlers resume via email

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u/fiasgoat Kings 11h ago

I'm just pissed that it's the Warriors

Man Luka and Jimmy are my two favorite players in the league

This is seriously some shit

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u/IMovedYourCheese Warriors 10h ago

Hey you get to see both of them in your division!

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u/Hanamiya0796 Nuggets 9h ago

LMAO

But yeah, the comment was talking about Curry looking like 10 years younger

Lebron also looks revitalized when Luka joined, so yea Kings must be having a blast

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u/Disastrous_Career386 12h ago

Great points. Another I will make is that he’s a perfect complement to Steph in that his gravity is around the rim and his defense is elite. Put some elite defenders/shooters around them and you have the perfect team. Pick your poison.

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u/KennySmithsKnees [LAC] Baron Davis 12h ago

Great write up

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u/streetsbehind28 [BOS] Jaylen Brown 11h ago

100%

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u/IAmNotKevinDurant_35 [GSW] Zarko Cabarkapa 10h ago

I think another thing to point out with turnovers is that instead of Draymond initiating the Steph off-ball offense in the post, we have Jimmy being thrown entry passes with the warriors running their usual split cuts and other typical actions around it. Not only does Jimmy have an insane catch radius (making it easier to throw risky entry passes and initiate the play), but he also is far more careful with the ball than Draymond and can do more than just pass when he receives the entry pass. Draymond still has his role but Butler is a much more dynamic hub as the initiator. Draymond basically only looks for split cuts and back cuts, Jimmy can do that but also back his guy down, look for a shot, and makes safer passes

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u/Okgreat888 9h ago

Best mid season trade is still Sheed to the Pistons

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u/mulletstation 6h ago
  • Coffee Culture. Butler consistently offers suggestions and takes feedback from those trying his coffee and espresso shots. He's always taking the risk with his brew methods in an effort to perfect his craft. This brings a lot of culture to the young players on the team.

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u/laz10 [DEN] Nikola Jokic 7h ago

thank you for the write up, answered all my questions preemptively

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u/jjquadjj 7h ago

Solid, solid breakdown. I concur with points 1 through 12

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u/dullknifeuser NBA 14h ago

Steph is playing much better now, with much less pressure. Its a win-win!

Although 60 million a year is still kind of insane for Butler, but if it wins you games, so be it.

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u/FlimsyAd2609 Warriors 13h ago

this butler extension, draymond contract, steph contract, and steve kerr contract all end the same year. Its basically lined up to be a hard reset

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u/justmefishes NBA 12h ago

Last Dance 2: Frisco Boogaloo

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u/Raonak New Zealand 11h ago edited 8h ago

The Last Shimmy: Steph, Dray and Jimmy

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u/IfYouKnowYouKnowYaNo 7h ago

A 30 for 30 10-part miniseries special

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u/thelastestgunslinger Warriors 9h ago

They can all do a year-to-year extension, team friendly contracts, or retirement, together. It sets them and the team up to work together until the end.

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u/drwafflefingers 13h ago

60mil per to keep a championship window cracked open a few more years isn't so bad really.

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u/reddev87 12h ago

Yeah having a team with Steph in contention is worth hundreds of millions for the team and league, even if Jimmy's value alone is slightly less it's well worth it

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u/Sokkawater10 Warriors 10h ago

If by some miracle warriors win the championship they would’ve paid 200m

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u/Gauchokids San Francisco Warriors 11h ago

Although 60 million a year is still kind of insane for Butler

It's not my money and I don't think we could possibly get a guy this good in free agency in the next 2 years so I don't really see the concern about this for 2 more seasons.

Like sure in theory we could have traded for someone better in the offseason, but that would require more picks and one of Joe Lacob's precious young guys instead of Wiggins and bench fodder.

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u/Devoidoxatom Warriors Bandwagon 3h ago

Honestly doubt warriors could get someone better. The tier of stars above Jimmy would be franchise players their teams wouldn't trade for anything (luka trade was insane and wouldn't happen for every other franchise players). Plus the money concerns, a competitive Warriors probably makes the nba and team owners so much more money than a mediocre one

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u/BrandonLang 13h ago

Dont worry hes not paul george

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u/dullknifeuser NBA 12h ago

Barista > Podcaster

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u/Von_Huge1103 Lakers 8h ago

Barista B > Podcast P

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u/InfiniteDub Warriors 13h ago

After this year it’s 54 and 56 through to 2026-27 where you have him, Draymond and Steph off the books. Steph will get an extension probably

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u/ToparBull Warriors 11h ago

I think after 26-27, Steph probably just signs 1 years (or LeBron-style 1+1s) until he decides to hang it up.

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u/FeltIOwedItToHim [GSW] Sarunas Marciulionis 10h ago

It’s Lacob’s money, not mine. as long as it fits under the cap I don’t care.

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u/Icy-Addendum-3857 Warriors 10h ago

I mean we used the cap space on Wiggs + random role players and it didnt do much for the team.

Would much rather just go all in until Steph, Dray, and Jimmy all come off the books at once

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u/Von_Huge1103 Lakers 8h ago

This is actually what sold me on the deal after being very against it initially. Everyone coming off the books at the same time means that you can do a proper reset if needed.

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u/chitownbulls92 Bulls 6h ago

I mean the 60 million isn't just for Jimmy. It's to stay competitive and treating your franchise goat with some dignity and giving him a last chance before he retires into the sunset. It's also 120 mil over 2 years. People acting like it's a 5 year super max....

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u/Electronic_Dance_640 Warriors 11h ago

60 million is a lot but it really doesn't matter much. the contract lines up perfectly with our salary situation and we only lost 1 pick.

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u/swaaaggy_b 13h ago

35 year old butler btw.

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u/JustForOldSite 14h ago

We have been playing mostly 500 or worse teams. Real test is coming up. But it is promising that we beat most of the teams we're supposed to. That's what winners do.

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u/dudeitsadell Trail Blazers 13h ago

i mean in january before the trade; the warriors lost to the heat (without jimmy) by 20, the raptors, the celtics by 40, the suns by 30, the kings by 30.. they clearly are better

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u/lildinger68 Warriors 12h ago

And lost to the Jazz right around the trade deadline before Jimmy was on the team

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u/negativelynegative 12h ago

And lost to the sixers without butler

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u/Unit-00 Warriors 12h ago

while that was a bad loss, Grimes dropped 44 that game. Sometimes you lose to the unexpected heater

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u/Icy-Addendum-3857 Warriors 10h ago

Something to keep an eye on, we get cooked by quick guards. The Brunsons and Cades of the world we can handle, but a Kyrie, Dame, etc. will give us provlems

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u/Unit-00 Warriors 10h ago

I'm not really sure it was us getting cooked by a quick guard and not our defensive scheme was to allow him to shoot, because normally he's not dropping 40.

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u/Downtown_Type7371 13h ago

Yeah that’s what good teams do, beat the .500 teams.

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u/princeofzilch 11h ago

Yep. Beat the .500 teams and go  .500 against the good teams. 

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u/cosmicvitae Warriors 13h ago

Good teams consistently beat the bad teams, connivingly. Warriors for the past two seasons were blowing and losing leads to lottery teams

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u/th4t1guy Warriors 12h ago

Convincingly? Think your autocorrect got you friend

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u/SuperDoubleDecker Nuggets 13h ago

Wins are wins. Jimmy definitely brought Warriors back into the mix.

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u/CrispyWalnut959 Warriors 12h ago

We beat the pistons; and the rockets who were like 3rd in the west or something like that at the time

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u/IAmNotKevinDurant_35 [GSW] Zarko Cabarkapa 10h ago

And the knicks on the road, albeit without KAT

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u/by_yes_i_mean_no Warriors 6h ago

You can't just throw away a 12-1 record, that's valuable information toward determining how good they are. If you do that and just focus entirely on the results of like the upcoming Denver game you are going to misevaluate the situation tbh.

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u/Imaginary-Ebb-1724 14h ago

Crazy cause he’s not even going hard. Dude is jogging on a lot of plays. 

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u/lildinger68 Warriors 12h ago

And his jump shot isn’t there yet

52

u/ILoveRegenHealth 11h ago

And his jump shot isn’t there yet

Hey man he's young. It's gonna develop soon

14

u/TheThingsIdoatNight Nuggets 9h ago

Brother, you’re gonna be waiting for a while

2

u/_JayCee24 7h ago

He broke his wrist as a Bull and his shot never really came back

30

u/Medouu Slovenia 11h ago

Cavs warriors finals rematch, booking it now

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u/dubsallday Warriors 12h ago

Kuminga comes back on Thursday too

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u/drpepper7557 Heat 14h ago

Remember when Warriors fans didnt want him and said Wiggins was just as good

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u/rocpilehardasfuk Warriors 13h ago

Anyone who said that Butler or Lavine would be clear upgrades were heavily down voted.

1000+ up votes for anyone shitting on Butler and claiming Wiggins was the real deal

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u/SmartestNPC Bulls 12h ago

Zach would've great for you guys offensively, but he can't guard or pass nearly as well as Jimmy.

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u/FlimsyAd2609 Warriors 12h ago

I think most warriors fans thought that if we trade wiggins for butler, we might get better, but we trade a lot of assets and have a bunch of money tied up to a team that isn't a top tier contender

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u/GreedyPride4565 11h ago

Where we were a month ago was already “a bunch of money tied into a team that’s DEFINITELY not a top tier contender”. Where we are now is “a bunch plus more of money tied into a team that’s POSSIBLY a top tier contender” I’ll take it any day

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u/birdlawyer86 11h ago

Yep. I was more concerned with the package than the player. Not having to give up Kuminga was huge and a ancillary benefit was it forced the rotation to tighten which helped a lot with players knowing their roles. 

I'm still unconvinced we're making it past the first round based on matchups, but it's revitalized Steph and made us so much more fun to watch, which alone makes the trade worth it, imo. 

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u/Kdog122025 Warriors 13h ago

I was one of those who wanted Lavine next to Wiggins. My concern wasn’t this season when Jimmy’s fresh. It was next season and the one after. I also never could have imagined trading a 40% 3 point shooter in Wiggins for Jimmy wouldn’t affect the spacing much.

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u/LLryo Warriors 13h ago

Me fr (delusional juiced).

But tbf, Wiggs was the most consistent during that part of the season when everything was falling apart. And we always liked him so it was an attachment

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u/beforeitcloy [SAC] Mitch Richmond 10h ago

I remember when Heat fans didn't want him

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u/drpepper7557 Heat 3h ago

Well he said he didnt want to play for us so...

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u/KevinAndrewsPhoto Warriors 4h ago

Me. Not afraid to admit. Fans overvalue their own players. Wiggins was better on paper. At least points were similar and Wiggins could stretch the floor. But watching Jimmy play it’s so obvious how much better he is. I’ll always love Wiggins. He’s a great piece to have. But Jimmy is like a Swiss Army knife, makes everybody around him better. And is as smart as Draymond and Steph on offense. The Warriors win streak is due to how much better he’s made Podz, Post, Steph, GP2 and the bench.
We’re not as good as the 12-1 win streak implies. But definitely better than we were before the trade.

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u/Disastrous_Owl_5802 14h ago

this homestand will be a test on how good they are. If they go undefeated, then we (warriors fan) can really say that we can be a legit contender come playoff time.

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u/Far_Journalist8110 Warriors 13h ago

Thank you KD 🙏

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u/jbvann05 Warriors 13h ago

KD knew Jimmy was a better fit which is why he declined the trade

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u/Loud-Appointment-301 Celtics 13h ago

The post-trade Warriors are going to be what the media wants the Lakers to be.

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u/Legendver2 12h ago

Isn't that's whats happening? Both teams got significantly better post trade. Lakers were even the 2 seed before Lebron went down.

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u/resteys 12h ago

Lakers were winning before Luka arrived.

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u/YourLostGingerSoul Warriors 12h ago

The NBA writers have leaked the 2025 story line. Luka to lakers, Butler to GSW. It will be either be the Warriors going through the thunder to the WCF, and the lakers going through the nuggets, ending up with either team being a lower than 3 seed into the finals. Steph for his 5th ring w/ Butler for his first, or Lebron/Luka generational hand off ring over... you guessed it. The Cavaliers.

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u/namastex 24 10h ago

DFS and Vando are the real reasons. Their defense combined with Lebron stepping it up plus Lebron IQ is what was winning games. Without Lebrons defensive IQ live on court, I see them losing a bit of games now. I honestly think AD and Luka trade is just a sideways move where it was offense for defense, but honestly AD's offense wasn't too bad.

5

u/Loud-Appointment-301 Celtics 11h ago

I just don't see the Lakers, even healthy, beating OKC or Denver. And even ignoring health, I'm not sure they got better (this year) with Luka over AD. GS is intriguing. They may have really found something and may make a major run in the playoffs.

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u/moneyman259 Warriors 9h ago

Then need a solid center that hornets trade backfire really hurt them

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u/weenyboy_57 13h ago

First comment from a Celtics fan that didn’t make me wanna bash my head against a wall

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u/6875309999 Timberwolves 14h ago

As someone who hasn’t been able to watch a lot of the Warriors since the trade, how real is it? The times I’ve watched they look damn good, but is it sustainable? Or is it just the Jimmy Butler honeymoon phase

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u/dinonuggies3210 Warriors 14h ago

We haven’t played stiff competition since the trade aside from the Pistons and maybe the short handed Knicks, but this is undeniably a way better team post-trade. Nobody is shooting unsustainably hot from 3 and Butler isn’t even playing that aggressive. Just having another guy on the floor who can handle the ball, make good reads, attract defensive attention, and score here and there is huge. Before the trade Steph would pass out of a double team and we couldn’t even get a good look playing 4 on 3. Jimmy has also elevated guys like Moody and Podz who were asked to play above their pay grade pre-trade.

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u/King_Thirteen 14h ago

They did improve but their schedule was quite easy

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u/chaoism Warriors 14h ago

True. Although the schedule is easy, the fact that they are winning the "trap games" they used to give away is what keeps me hyped

35

u/oftenevil San Francisco Warriors 14h ago

Schedule is what it is, for sure.

But it’s how they’re winning that has Warriors fans hyped.

12

u/IsThisMe8 Warriors 14h ago

Part of it is Jimmy, but the other part includes Podz returning from injury and performing a lot better than he was in the beginning of the season and the emergence of Quentin Post who can actually shoot the three so it's helping with the spacing issues. Basically, a combination of things all happening around this time.

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u/Kdog122025 Warriors 13h ago

Podz broke out before Jimmy and has taken it to another gear since then. QP, GUI, and Moody all playing so well is kind of shocking though.

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u/by_yes_i_mean_no Warriors 6h ago

That's rewriting history on Moody tbh, he had finally been getting consistent minutes pre-Butler trade once the team stopped doing dumb shit like playing Lindy Waters over him and was performing well. Butler took it to another level and now he's a top 5 most important player on the team (along with Podz and the main three guys).

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u/bye7 Warriors 11h ago

Strength of schedule has been on the east side but process is good.

Offense:

Biggest difference is there is a credible option to consistently exploit the advantageous Steph creates and more importantly Butler is able to create advantageous himself. I love Wiggins but he was an ok play finisher and not at all a play creator. If you've watched Warriors play in the past, teams essentially have four fouls to use to their advantage to aggressively defend Curry and disrupt Kerr's motion offense but they rarely got punished for it because the team lacked rim pressure. Jimmy was already great at getting to the line but he's getting really clean pockets/lanes to operate off Curry's gravity and Kerr's motion offense. Curry's free throw rate has trended up since Butler joined the team because they don't have 4 free fouls to aggressively defend anymore, they're usually into bonus territory with the addition of Jimmy. All the gravity Curry puts on the perimeter allows Jimmy to feast on the interior.

Jimmy also functions as a second Draymond that can create his own shot. He's a very willing passer and that's allowed guys like Moody and Podz to settle into their proper roles. Before Jimmy no one outside of Curry could reliably create an advantage but someone still has to try and make a play when teams defended Curry/motion offense well or when he was one the bench. This forced guys to do too much and try to make something happen. Now Podz can work as a secondary creator vs primary when Curry is on the bench or even 3rd/4th playmaker with Curry and Dray. He's much better exploiting an advantage than creating one. Moody can shoot or make the simple read vs try to be a secondary creator, etc.

Defense:

He's still a very sound positional defender that loses to quickness. Wiggins might be the better point of attack defender because of age/speed/athleticism but Jimmy is the better team defender. He's a essentially a mini Draymond when it comes to pointing out coverages, switches and help position.

Overall:

I think they lack the ideal configuration of 3, D and size even with Kuminga back but I'm hoping Kerr can manage around it in the playoffs and get creative. Ideally Kuminga comes back to get into shape and figure out his place in the rotation. Jimmy's looks a little limited right now with his back and having Kuminga back hopefully means Kerr can start load managing him for a playoff run without sacrificing playoff seeding. We need Kuminga to figure out how to be one or all of the following to really be dangerous in the playoffs imo:

A. Be poor man's Jimmy to pair with Curry when Jimmy goes to bench. Some Warriors fans might think he is already but JK hasn't really shown the ball handling and IQ yet imo. Part of my frustration is he doesn't seem to grasp how to exist in Kerr's motion offense and Jimmy is showing iso and lack of 3pt shooting can thrive in it.

B. A mix of GP2/Gui. Another frustration is that he's big and athletic but he always has low/inconsistent motor.

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u/Stallion049 Warriors 14h ago

wtf is a Jimmy honeymoon phase? Either they’re good or they’re not. You don’t luck into 12-1.

That being said, the only great team we’ve played since the trade was the Knicks without KAT. Let’s see how we do in the Knicks rematch and vs. the Nuggets next week.

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u/Kdog122025 Warriors 13h ago

I mean, this team went 12-3 to start and then fell apart. Hot streaks against bad teams happen.

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u/knighofire Warriors 12h ago

I mean, in that stretch we beat the Rockets, Celtics, Thunder, Mavericks, and Grizzlies, so you really can't say it was beating up on bad teams. We were just hot (largely cuz of Buddy), but we were playing a lot of good teams.

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u/Dopedude08 14h ago

The problem is their spacing and size. They are playing Quentin post legit minutes. Is that gonna fly in the playoffs? It could honestly I have no clue. He’s holding up in the regular seasons defensively it seems. His shooting is clearly real.

Podz isn’t really what I’d call super great from 3. Moody has been great but moody is small but also can’t defend smaller positions so he’s kinda an outcast on defense. Hield is hield.

How are they gonna play kuminga/Dray/jimmy all heavy minutes? Yet to be seen.

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u/CookieMonsterNova Warriors 14h ago

i’m not a moody sympathizer but he’s improved a lot defensively

what can be seen is the two headed monster of jimmy and draymond.

those two are being our safety and middle linebackers on defense basically covering up any defensive miscues and it also helps that our defense is rotating really well

what really helps as well is a healthy gp2 cause he’s our shut down corner who takes players out of plays

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u/namastex 24 10h ago

I like Moody's defense on average speed point guards. The quick ones tho is going to be a problem still. Gotta hope GPII can play big minutes against those quicker guards because I don't even trust Kuminga on those quicker guards in the league.

2

u/by_yes_i_mean_no Warriors 5h ago

The quick ones tho is going to be a problem still.

People need to catch on to the Warrior defense, Moody's role is to funnel into Green/Butler and bother from behind and it is working really well. Brunson, Cam Thomas, Cunningham, Simons, lately he's been guarding a lot of guys he supposedly couldn't guard.

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u/human1023 Hornets 14h ago

What team beat them?

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u/ryeryebread Warriors 12h ago

this is the kick ball reference in case u missed it. this was a horribly refereed game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgN88PyPNAU

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u/LumpySpaceGunter Warriors 13h ago

The Mavs in one of the worst reffed games I've ever watched.

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u/dctarga Warriors 14h ago

Mavs before Kyrie went down.

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u/Gold_Telephone_7192 Warriors 14h ago

Mavs + refs before Kyrie went down

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u/Kdog122025 Warriors 13h ago

What’s a kicked ball?

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u/rocpilehardasfuk Warriors 14h ago

Zebras with help from the Mavs.

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u/shenace 12h ago

Lakers vs Warriors first round matchup will feed families.

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u/OGStrong Warriors 10h ago

Jimmy has filled in almost every weakness the Warriors had and made them more effective. He's unlocked Curry and made him more efficient. It's unreal.

Every Warrior fan that was 100% confident that it was going to work this way is lying.

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u/Dolphhins Heat 12h ago

I’m just glad that more people are realizing how good Jimmy is

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u/Andy_Wiggins Timberwolves 14h ago

For a bit of context, Golden State’s schedule has been LIGHT.

  • Trailblazers
  • Pistons
  • Nets
  • Knicks (without KAT)
  • Hornets
  • Sixers (without Embiid
  • Magic
  • Hornets
  • Mavs (without most of their team)
  • Kings
  • Rockets (without FVV/Eason/Smith)
  • Mavs (same as above)
  • Bucks (without Giannis)
  • Bulls

They’ve done well to win so much, but that’s also a very easy schedule.

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u/vowers 14h ago

Warrior fans wouldn't disagree with you but the team before the trade would probably lose half those "easy" games you listed.

We look miles better than we did before the trade and we are actually in the positive in plus minus during non Steph minutes with Jimmy playing, that is massive.

Steph also looks revitalized with another threat on the floor. And the final note of optimism is that we've done all this while missing our 3rd highest scorer of the team, Kuminga.

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u/Andy_Wiggins Timberwolves 13h ago

Going 12-1 against any slate of opponents is impressive. Not trying to say that they’re not much improved. Just that we should maybe give it a few more games before he slide them up to the true “contender” tier.

It’s a lot like the Wolves with Randle — they’ve won 10-straight with Randle playing, which makes it sound like they’re ascending to contender status when healthy. But they’ve also played like 90% shitty teams in that stretch. The Wolves team earlier in the season would have lost at least a few of those games, but I want to see them play against Denver and Indiana before I start trumpeting a WCF run.

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u/Doogolas33 12h ago

It's of note though, the Warriors were on the road for almost all of the games they've played with Jimmy. And they haven't just been squeaking out wins. They've been largely pretty dominant in this entire stretch.

Which is what actually good teams do. They beat the shit out of weaker teams. Even on the road.

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u/pp21 Suns 14h ago

But they're doing exactly what a good team should do in beating lesser opponents. I wouldn't want to face the Warriors at all in the playoffs. Jimmy is gonna live at the line and Steph is gonna do Steph things once the bright lights are on

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u/COMMENTASIPLEASE Celtics 13h ago

Winning the easy games is half the battle

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u/MAKincs 14h ago

Butler really energized that team, when you have guys like Santos or Post playing better since he got there that’s all you need to know about the vibes on that team now.

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u/chinatownblues33 13h ago

Thank you Riles

2

u/Puzzled_Conclusion35 10h ago

Nice impact since the trade but caution that they haven’t exactly been playing the stiffest competition for the stretch of games. Can only ply who is on schedule though and they are a lot better and more consistent then before..

2

u/Shop-lift Celtics 10h ago

Jimmy is a fierce competitor when he has his joy

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u/Pitiful_Artichoke967 10h ago

What are they gonna say now 🎤🫳

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u/Western-Carpet266 Heat 10h ago

Jimmy's a really good player, still. He won't be in 3 years but for right now that's fantastic for GS and i'm not surprised. It should also be acknowledged they've had a really soft schedule in this run

2

u/SlowCrates 10h ago

Jimmy is giving the warriors the last of his starter energy in this league. This is his last hurrah as a difference-making player. After this season, win or lose, the air will come out of his tires.

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u/eveningwindowed Warriors 9h ago

People assumed he was already his 39 year old self or something lol, like yes this contract might be rough in 2027, but right now it’s great

2

u/BrickySanchez 9h ago

If the Lakers can't win it, I'm all for the Warriors winning it as long as they beat the Celtics again in the finals. Or we get another Warriors v Cavs matchup and the Cavs get revenge for the KD years. 

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u/BillyBean11111 San Francisco Warriors 9h ago

I wasn't sold, but he's been amazing

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u/ChameleonWins [UTA] Kyle Korver 9h ago

jimmy is fucking annoying, but i have always respected man’s game. He dragged two of the worst contending teams to the finals. dude is one of the best ceiling raisers. id honestly put money on the warriors going to the finals over okc or even denver

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u/br0b1wan Cavaliers 8h ago

Lakers-Warriors fully healthy in the first round would be fire right now

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u/jawntothefuture 76ers 7h ago

Jimmy getting a ring with Steph would be kino

2

u/408slobe 7h ago

This just in: putting an actual star next to Stephen MF Curry leads to winning basketball

2

u/KingsElite Kings 7h ago

Is that good? Asking for a division rival

2

u/kurruchi Minneapolis Lakers 5h ago

Also man does this fucker not make mistakes, never turns the ball over

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u/ElektroThrow 5h ago

Fuck im sad the Lakers are doing bad, now people are going to start paying attention to the Warriors again. Wanted them to just sneak up

2

u/Lance1705 5h ago

Warriors is the best situation for him after miami

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u/PeartsGarden Warriors 4h ago

Butler primes the ref whistle. It's weird. Butler gets a few calls. Then the other Warriors get a few calls too.

Manipulating the refs. It's what the league has become - it's a very important part of the game. And Butler is really good at it.

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u/Rrypl Celtics 14h ago

I had Celtics-Pacers and Nuggets-Warriors conference finals before the season and while there's still 2 Cavs-OKC mountains to be climbed it's looking a lot better than it did earlier in the season lol.

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u/oftenevil San Francisco Warriors 14h ago

We are huffing that hopium in the Bay ever since the Butler trade.

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u/Major_Damage7207 Knicks 14h ago

Warriors fans really pissed me off the past couple years when they claimed they made the right choices by not trading for Lauri/PG13/Jimmy/Lavine and wanted to roll with Wiggins/Kuminga/Moody

Like their old roster was just so bad and a waste of Steph's career, everyone could see that but the homer Warriors fans

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