MILWAUKEE — Jimmy Butler lights a scented candle next to his locker after games.
He’s brightening up the Warriors much more than just a single flame can.
For the past few years, anyone who has watched the Warriors has clamored for the organization to get Steph Curry a second scoring option. They weren’t wrong, but that phrasing may miss the point.
The Warriors are now 2-0 after trading for Butler, with wins in Chicago and Milwaukee. In those two games, he has shown the real reasons why the Warriors (27-26) have needed to get Curry help, and they go far beyond putting the ball in the basket.
Butler’s style of play settles the Warriors down. His aura raises their belief level. His presence shifts complementary players into roles they can more easily thrive in.
He scores the ball, too. That helps, for sure.
“Every possession just doesn’t feel as hard,” Curry said. “I’ve got to be aggressive and I think earlier in the year, that aggression didn’t necessarily lead to anything as consistently as it has the last two games.”
Over and over again before Butler arrived, Curry would pass the ball out of a double team, but his teammates would blow a 4-on-3 opportunity. Defenses noticed and became even more brazen, face-guarding him the length of the court and throwing even more help defenders his way.
They can’t be so cavalier when Curry’s on the floor with Butler. The six-time All-Star will pick them apart.
Even as Butler admittedly out of game shape and hasn’t had a practice to learn Golden State’s plays, he has scored 45 points in two contests. He’s gotten to the line for 28 foul shots, which has ripple effects in itself.
Butler bullying his way to the line slows the game down and can take an opponent out of its rhythm. It allows the Warriors to play with a set defense more often, a key as they navigate that end of the floor without Andrew Wiggins — who was their best point-of-attack defender.
And when Butler is drawing fouls at the rate he has the past two games, it can put defenses in the bonus. That changes the way guards can rough up Curry on the perimeter.
“I think it really has the potential to kind of even out our attack and balance the game and settle us down in stressful situations,” Steve Kerr said.
The Warriors won’t rank in the bottom-five in free throw volume for very long with Butler in the fold. He has averaged 6.7 free throw attempts per game in his career, a mark that would rank in the top-10 in the league this season.
As an offensive engine, Butler also allows Curry to return to a more traditional substitution pattern for him. The Warriors have already been comfortable sitting Curry for longer periods of time at the start of the fourth quarter because of Butler’s ability to manufacture offense. That shouldn’t go overlooked.
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Butler makes Curry’s life easier just as Curry allows Butler to play in space. His addition should also help role players like Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody.
Podziemski and Moody were both excellent in Golden State’s win over Milwaukee. Moody replaced Quinten Post in the starting lineup, going small with Draymond Green at center. Curry was the only Warrior to play more minutes than Moody, as the fourth-year forward constantly made winning plays on both ends.
Butler, particularly as a downhill threat and short-roll playmaker, creates open looks for Moody. He forces the defense to rotate, allowing Moody to attack late closeouts along the baseline.
Podziemski, likewise, slots into a role more befitting of him playing next to Butler. He thinks the game like Butler on both ends and can drift off his aggression. Butler allows Podziemski to play without the ball, where he can spot up and operate as a second-side creator.
It’s not a coincidence that Podziemski was a game-high plus-18 against the Bucks. Just like his rookie year, that plus-minus category indicates how he connects the game and impacts winning on both ends. Playing less full-time point guard empowers him to focus on the glue-guy things.
When Butler is operating from the post or facing up, players around him can pick their spots. More often, the Warriors know where their shots are going to come from.
“I think Jimmy’s IQ and his feel for the game makes the game easier for everyone, but it especially makes the game easier for role players,” Kerr said. “I always felt like, as a player, if I could play with stars, the game became dramatically easier. That’s what you’re seeing with Jimmy — the space he takes up, the ball movement, the passing, the ability to post up and let the game settle down, that makes things a lot easier on Moses and BP and others.”
The past two games have been evidence of Butler’s impact. It’s still a small sample and one against a tanking Bulls team and the Bucks without Giannis Antetokounmpo.
It’s still remarkable how immediately Butler has rubbed off on the Warriors. He wasn’t able to play real games for three weeks leading up to the trade as he was suspended indefinitely by the Heat. He’s catching his breath and picking things up on the fly, yet has still changed the complexion of the team.
Just wait until he gets into shape and starts learning Golden State’s plays.
“My wind is nowhere close to being where it needs to be,” Butler said. “Like, I can’t wait until I’m back in basketball shape the way I’m used to being.”
