Two games into the new Jimmy Butler era and things couldn't have gone much better for the Golden State Warriors, particularly over the last six quarters where a stunning second-half turnaround against the Chicago Bulls was followed by another road win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Warriors are still battling just to make the NBA's Play-In Tournament, but there's far more optimism surrounding the franchise given the impact Butler has already imparted so soon after his arrival.
3 ways Jimmy Butler is reviving elements of the Warriors dynasty
While talks of being a legitimate championship contender are still a long way from being had, it's important to outline just how Butler is bringing elements not seen for years at the franchise. Let's have a look at three of those to understand just how important Butler's presence could be moving forward:
1. Offensive Presence Matters
"Every possession just doesn't feel as hard" - Stephen Curry after Monday's win over the Bucks.
Let me start by saying... 2025 Jimmy Butler is in no way a better offensive player than 2017 Kevin Durant in Golden State. Butler will also never be the shooter or offensive spark that Klay Thompson was prior to injury. On the contrary, no one is asking him to necessarily match those who came before him.
What is being asked of him though is to bring the same offensive presence that helped carry the Miami Heat to two of the five NBA Finals in the last five years. Having someone that's able to take defensive attention away from Steph or thrive in a big way when the defense focuses heavily on him has always been a key to success for the team. This is something that quite KD & Klay naturally did easily and is an element that has arguably been missing from the team since BEFORE the 2022 Finals run.
You may ask, "Well, what about Jordan Poole or Andrew Wiggins?" While we all agree that both of them were crucial pieces to that last championship run, neither of them demand the superstar-level attention that Jimmy Butler does. Having the greatest shooter of all-time on your side makes the game remarkably easy for a player of Jimmy's magnitude and leads to the defense having to make some tough decisions.
2. Team Chemistry and the Draymond Green effect
"You got two jobs Jimmy. One, pass the ball to Steph. And if Steph not open, pass the ball to me..." - Mark Phillips as Draymond Green in a recent skit following the Butler trade.
What sounds like a harmless line from a funny skit, actually holds so much truth. We all know the story, we all saw the implosion of a dynasty begin live on TV with Kevin Durant. We also unfortunately saw Jordan Poole get punched in the face during practice years later.
People like to look at situations like these and highlight them as examples of Draymond being a bad guy, when in reality these were really just instances of him being a poor teammate. Both of these instances lead to problems internally that would later affect the team and arguably cost them championships depending on who you ask.
What I take away from this though is the importance of personalities and understanding roles. KD is someone who has received all the praise in the world for his talent on the court, but has always been questioned as an Alpha personality capable of leading a team.
Poole was seen as someone eager to take the next step, but his inconsistency & mindset on the court perhaps got in the way in the eyes of some. Add to that a literal confidence shattering blow from someone who is supposed to be a mentor and the rest is history.
Draymond is a strong personality and someone who understands his specific role perhaps better than anyone to ever play the game. However, in those two instances where things went wrong, his personality got the better of him and hindered both his and others abilities to play their roles comfortably.
If Draymond did this in the past with those guys, could you imagine what he'd do with a personality as strong as Jimmy Butler's? I can and it's a beautiful thing to think about.
All Butler has ever cared about is winning and being around people who want to win just as much as him. In Golden State, he's surrounded by like-minded individuals in the front office and HOF players like Steph and Dray who are proven winners and still hungry for more success.
From an on-the-court perspective, there's probably no one else in the NBA who would understand Jimmy Butler MORE than Draymond Green. This has already been proven through the first two games as Jimmy has already looked comfortable, with Steve Kerr, Steph and Draymond empowering him to play his game while directing him as necessary. Jimmy wanted to find his joy in playing basketball again, and no team plays with more joy than a thriving Warriors team.
3. A mix of versatile wing players and interior threats are just as important as perimeter players
One of the many knocks of the modern day Golden State Warriors is the lack of a consistent big man. The dream would obviously be someone dynamic who could be both a threat defensively and offensively in the paint.
When you really look at it though, has that ever really been part of Golden State's championship DNA? Did JaVale McGee, Andrew Bogut, David West or David Lee fit that archetype? That's not to say these guys couldn't get easy buckets or provide stifling defense when the time came. These guys were never THE answer though, just a part of the solution.
The wing players on the other hand have always been the driving force of the Warriors runs. Players like Andre Iguodala and Andrew Wiggins are routinely praised for their efforts in helping secure championships through timely scoring, lockdown defense and making tough plays in the interior.
On the other side of that look at someone like Harrison Barnes who shot 36% from the field during the 2016 Finals and is one of the many reasons the team came up short in that series. Then, of course you have his replacement Kevin Durant, who's offensive versatility obviously can't be duplicated in that role by anyone.
Enter, Jimmy Butler III. The best player the Warriors have acquired since KD's departure and he's coming in to fill the most important, yet seemingly underrated role on the team. With a combination of rookie standout Quinten Post, a lob threat and solid interior defender in Trayce Jackson-Davis, and two veteran big men in Draymond & Kevon Looney. This is the most interesting the Warriors front court has looked in a few years.
Butler could be the missing piece to the Warriors offense and defense. A ''Swiss army knife'' type of player and a notorious playoff riser, he has elements of all the players that came before him. Only time will tell.