Dubs are 9-1 in the Butler era.

At the 9:34 mark of the fourth quarter in their game against the New York Knicks, the Golden State Warriors — at that moment, without Steph Curry on the floor, with Jimmy Butler as their designated offensive focal point — were getting ready to run a sideline out-of-bounds (SLOB) set. The NBC Sports Bay Area feed briefly flashed an image of Steve Kerr holding his hands up in what appeared to be a shrugging gesture.

It may have looked like a gesture born out of confusion or protest, as if to say the three magical words: “WTF?” (abbreviated, of course — this is a family-friendly article). However, Kerr’s shrugging motion is actually a play call for the Warriors to run one of their classic Kerr-era SLOB sets named — funnily enough — “WTF,” which stands for exactly what you think it does.

Most play calls from coaches are yelled out loud, but of course, yelling out the three magic words can cause problems — from opposing teams knowing what’s coming (they do most of the time, anyway), to young children sitting courtside being unnecessarily exposed to profanity. Kerr is cognizant of this and has chosen the “shrug” as his play call for “WTF,” as he previously explained in this article:

There’s a play in today’s NBA that can produce everything from a cut to the basket to a high-value 3-point shot. It’s a side out-of-bounds box set that features interchangeable positions and multiple options. And whenever the Golden State Warriors run it, they have to pantomime.

“I didn’t want my guys yelling out, ‘WHAT THE F—!’ with families and little kids sitting there,” says Steve Kerr, head coach of the Warriors. “So I told them, ‘Hold your arms up like you’re shrugging.’ It was a little less conspicuous that way.”

It’s called the “What the f—” play.

“WTF” has several moving parts, with versions that differ depending on which team runs it. In the Warriors’ case, the crux of the set involves a “rip” screen — technical parlance for what’s commonly known as a back screen. In “WTF,” the recipient of the rip screen is the one inbounding the ball.

When Kerr calls out “WTF” above, Buddy Hield is assigned as the inbounder, with Butler as the one setting the rip screen. If no switch happens between Hield’s defender and Butler’s defender, this is what happens:

Knowing the history of “WTF,” having Butler (a non-shooter) set the rip screen for Hield (a shooter) is actually a departure from the norm. In past iterations, a shooter such as Curry is usually the one setting the rip screen, followed by Curry running off of a subsequent away screen.

Steph with the huuuge three off of the Dubs' "WTF" SLOB pic.twitter.com/b7qx9ypZ4r

— Joe Viray (@JoeVirayNBA) November 11, 2024

Having Butler be the one setting the rip screen works to the Warriors’ advantage when there’s no switch. If both defenders elect to cover the recipient of the rip screen, Butler isn’t exactly the perimeter shooting threat defenses would dedicate effort and time to closing out on.

Which is exactly what happens when the Warriors run “WTF” against the Brooklyn Nets — with Butler setting the rip screen for Curry this time around. Note how Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez lets his players know the play is coming:

As such, when Butler sets the rip screen for Curry, both Curry’s man and Butler’s man go with Curry:

Butler pops out upon realizing that no one is effectively guarding him. He gets a look the Nets technically should be okay with, considering the alternative. Gui Santos, however, takes note of the opportunity and makes sure Butler has all the time he needs to line up the shot:

(When given a lot of time to set it up, Butler actually manages to get decent arc on his shot — unlike when he has to release the shot quickly.)

While Butler being able to gain a rhythm from beyond the arc would be an appreciated development, Kerr putting Butler (again, it should be noted: a designated non-shooter) as the rip screener isn’t because Butler is a dormant three-point monster waiting to be woken up. It’s because when teams do switch the rip screen action, Butler is most likely screening in order to gain good position on the switch — that is, top-side position.

Note when Butler sets the screen for Pat Spencer below, he does so at an angle that gives him an open cutting lane toward the rim. Butler is smart enough to know when to take advantage of such opportunities:

As if the setup above wasn’t enough, Kerr eventually flipped the setup around — in that Butler suddenly became the recipient of the rip screen in “WTF.” Fernandez once again took note of the Warriors running the play and made sure that his players still knew what was about to happen.

In particular, Fernandez was making sure D’Angelo Russell knew to switch himself onto Butler on the rip screen action. Unfortunately for Russell, Butler was able to obtain an advantageous position — in addition to being four inches taller and nearly 40 pounds heavier:

What does this all mean for the Warriors from a bird’s eye view? It simply means that — despite a 9-1 record with Butler in the lineup, during which they’ve been the fifth best offense, the fourth best defense, and have outscored opponents by 12.5 points per 100 possessions (third over that period) — Kerr and the Warriors are still in experimental mode when it comes to evaluating Butler and when and where he is best utilized. Butler himself is still acclimatizing to his new environment. Having the high IQ and institutional knowledge of having played in a similar motion/read-and-react offense with the Miami Heat has also provided him a significant head start.

Fans have been waiting for Butler to have a signature game, one where he explodes and lives up to his moniker of “Jimmy G. Buckets.” Even a 25-point performance against the Nets (on 7-of-13 shooting from the field, 10-of-10 from the line, and 71.8% True Shooting) somewhat paled in comparison to Curry’s 40-point performance on 83.5% True Shooting, which included the biggest “WTF” moment of not only the night — but arguably, Curry’s extensive career:

LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOO pic.twitter.com/VCaxFyiZOM

— Joe Viray (@JoeVirayNBA) March 7, 2025

While Butler is yet to have that signature “WTF” performance in his Warriors tenure, he was able to impact the game in his own special way, including the manner through which he took advantage of being the rip screener (and rip screenee) in the Warriors’ “WTF.”