As the Golden State Warriors shockingly acquired Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat at the last trade deadline, his presence helped turn the team's season around, providing a supporting offensive role to superstar Stephen Curry and helping solidify the team's defense.
Yet, as Butler enters his second season with the Warriors, his role will only continue to grow as he takes on a variety of jobs across the roster for a team desperately looking to contend for a title.
When he left Miami, Butler clearly was looking to be valued as a vital piece of an organization, and, as his role becomes more and more important next season, this wish will easily be granted.
Jimmy Butler could be the most important player on the Warriors next season
Throughout this offseason, Golden State has largely shown a disinterest in bringing in other star players, showing a primary focus on assembling a strong, veteran supporting cast for their existing core. Now, on the latest episode of the Warriors Plus Minus podcast, co-host Marcus Thompson has revealed why: "Jimmy Butler is the answer to all of this... He's got the Malik Monk. He's got the De'Anthony Melton. He's the guy who can go be big, be a superstar; he's also going to be the back-up point guard floor general during the non-Steph minutes. A lot of this stuff is Jimmy Butler."
Last season, through 30 games with Golden State, Butler averaged 17.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists, lifting the team out of its mid-season mediocrity through his pure intensity and competitiveness.
Now, as the Warriors attempt to sort out what sort of money they have to bring in veteran free agents, Butler's role will need to expand yet again. As Thompson points out, Butler will need to simultaneously take on the secondary scoring of a star player, the strong perimeter defense of a veteran wing and the playmaking duties of a back-up point guard.
This is, in part, because the team declined to trade Jonathan Kuminga to the Sacramento Kings in a deal that would have brought back Malik Monk. In doing so, Golden State has yet again shown their profound faith in Butler to get the job done on offense while trusting the rest of their supporting cast to step up next season.
With the gravity that superstar Stephen Curry has on offense, it can often be easy to forget how important having a second star can be.
At 35, it is clear that Butler, in some ways, is not the same player he was in his prime. However, he is still an intensely competitive and skilled veteran, who, insofar as he is required to take on these roles, could become the most important player on the roster next season.
Is this too much to ask of Butler? Perhaps. However, it is certainly the role, and the value, he sought when he left Miami, and the Warriors have done well to trust such a dynamic player with their championship hopes.