When the Golden State Warriors made a gamble and agreed to trade for Jimmy Butler at the deadline just two months ago, they did so with a specific cost-benefit analysis in mind. Prior to the start of February, the Warriors were struggling mightily, and their record had been hovering right around .500 for a large portion of the season, ever since their initial hot start.
It was clear what the front office needed to do: They had to get Stephen Curry a legitimate second superstar that could maximize his talents and build this team back into a real contender once again. If they did not, missing the playoffs was absolutely within the realm of possibility. After considering multiple options, Golden State opted to bring on Butler who, despite his antics and the way he exited Miami, brings considerable star-level talent in his own right.
In the Warriors’ view, it was worth dealing with the headaches that Butler would potentially bring along with him due to the level of player that he is. To them, pairing Steph and Jimmy was a winning formula, and their judgement has been proven correct to this point. Golden State has gone from a team under .500 back on Feb. 6 to a squad in contention for the three seed in the Western Conference with less than a week remaining in the regular season. However, there is one problem concerning Butler’s play that the Warriors may not be able to completely solve.
Butler’s level of play has dipped since 2023 Finals
I am speaking of the fact that ever since the end of the 2023 NBA Finals, Jimmy has not truly returned to playing at the superstar level that he achieved while dragging the Miami Heat to the championship round in June two years ago. For quite a while, the eye test has shown us that clearly, but the numbers reflect it as well. Butler’s scoring and efficiency have taken a hit since that season, and this remains a big concern for the Warriors’ championship hopes.
We saw Jimmy enter a different mode and simply take over games multiple times during that 2023 run to the Finals. But since then and especially since arriving in San Francisco, Butler has not really shown that same ability to be a one-man show and change the outcome of games nearly single-handedly.
If the Warriors are to get back to the Finals and if they want to have any hope of defeating a team like the Boston Celtics once they get there, they are going to need Jimmy playing at the highest level possible. If Butler is no longer able to dominate games like he used to, it could be curtains for this team’s high aspirations.
