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Curry shunned his usual concerns about pulling out his gesture too early. His one worry is pulling out the celebration and then losing the game. But in a rare instance, Curry did not filter his confidence, giving no regard to the potential for shame. He had revenge on his heart. Curry remembered on Feb. 12 when Washington co-opted Curry’s celebration gesture in the Mavericks’ win over Golden State in Dallas. It didn’t sit well with the Warriors that Washington didn’t play that night.
The Warriors checked in on LeBron James at the 2024 trade deadline. They tried to fill the void by going after Paul George and Lauri Markkanen last summer but couldn’t get a massive deal done. They even came close to reuniting with Durant. League and team sources said they had the structure of a deal agreed upon after Phoenix reached out to Golden State, but they decided against pushing the button after learning Durant wasn’t interested.
Kerr reveals what has surprised him most about coaching Butler
Warriors forward Jimmy Butler isn’t your traditional big name. Instead, the 35-year-old subtly makes his money — $110.96 million over the next two seasons, to be exact – by making the right decisions on both ends of the floor rather than leading the NBA in 30-point games or high-flying dunks.
Butler’s new coach, Steve Kerr, has been a big fan of the six-time NBA All-Star’s unassuming presence thus far. Kerr on Monday evening told 95.7 The Game’s “Willard & Dibs” about the two-way wing’s soundness and how it has surprised him over the Warriors’ inspired 5-1 start with Butler.
“Well, I think you have to really see him every day to appreciate his game because he’s not your traditional superstar who’s lighting it up from [3-point range] or wowing you with highlights; it’s really just the efficiency of his game,” Kerr told Mark Willard and Dan Dibley. “He’s incredibly sound fundamentally.
“He’s a great passer; he understands how to get to the foul line; he’s really, really strong; so, he gets people to have to guard him, and then it just creates a lot of opportunities for himself but also for his teammates. I love his passing. I just feel like every time he puts the ball on the floor and pivots and makes a pass, it’s not spectacular, but it just makes the game flow. And that’s exactly what this team needs.”
The Butler-in-the-Bay experiment has been exceptional thus far.
He is averaging 20 points and 9.2 free throws per game with 5.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.5 steals over 31.7 minutes. Butler’s defensive tenacity allows him to easily fit in with fellow two-way forward Draymond Green and up-and-coming Swiss Army Knife Brandin Podziemski, while Butler’s 10.8 two-point shot attempts per game have been a congenial offset to Curry and the franchise’s 3-point shooting M.O.
The formula when Butler is on the floor is simple for Kerr: trust the 14-year NBA veteran.
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“We’ve always been at our best with high-IQ guys around Steph and Draymond, and that’s what I’m seeing with Jimmy,” Kerr told Willard and Dibley.
Golden State was at its best throughout its dynastic run because of the team’s collective buy-in and willingness to make unselfish decisions. Iconic names such as the recently celebrated Andre Iguodala, for example, took pride in being a piece in their gold-blooded puzzle, despite entering the first stint of his eight-year tenure two seasons removed from an All-Star nod.
Kerr already has seen parallels between Butler and Iguodala. The most obvious might be Butler’s all-around impact on the Warriors, from the win-loss column to the overall vibes in and out of the building.
“It starts with the X’s and O’s, not in terms of schemes, but just in terms of great players making the game easier on everybody else. And that’s what Jimmy is doing right now,” Kerr told Willard and Dibley. “That’s what he’s doing right now, making the game simpler for everybody, and he’s getting us easier shots and our defense has been really good. And as a result, we’ve got more confidence, more momentum.”
Easier shots. Better defense. A rejuvenated roster and fan base. The sky is the limit for the Jimmy Butler era of Warriors basketball. And it only has just begun.
“It feels right. It feels like things are clicking,” Kerr told Willard and Dibley.
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By Joaquin Ruiz • Published February 24, 2025 • Updated on February 24, 2025 at 10:33 pm
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Jimmy Butler Is Modern NBA’s Andre Iguodala for Golden State Warriors
Eleven years ago, Andre Iguodala did the seemingly impossible: He made Mark Jackson look like a good basketball coach.
Turns out, it didn’t help Jackson, who had already burned enough bridges with the Warriors that they fired him despite back-to-back playoff appearances.
Jackson has never been hired as a head coach again—maybe because he could never convince Iguodala to come with him.
The veteran swingman remained with Golden State, where his mere presence helped Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green post better numbers in 2014—his first year with the Warriors—than they had the season before.
One year later, with the proverbial coach on the floor helping a guy who had never been at the head of the bench before, Steve Kerr and the Warriors won an improbable championship—the franchise’s first in 40 years.
In a rare moment of sensibility, Iguodala was selected MVP of the 2015 NBA Finals, even though Thompson had suffocated J.R. Smith, he had been outscored by Curry, and he had been outrebounded at one end by Barnes and at the other by Green.
All Iguodala had done was spearhead a defense that held LeBron James to 39.8% shooting.
Oh, he also did all the little things, as the saying goes. He passed to Curry. He covered defensively for Thompson. He encouraged Barnes. And he kept Green focused.
He surely was the MVP, and he was acknowledged as such.
In an era of 3-point shooting and what some would call soft basketball, the NBA needs more Iguodalas. Fortunately, it already has one.
When the Warriors scheduled the Mavericks as the opponent for Iguodala’s jersey retirement Sunday, they did so to allow Thompson to share in the moment.
Never did they think they’d also be providing that opportunity to Iguodala’s mirror image.
The Warriors were a lottery-bound team led by a coach with an uncertain future when they dealt four players and a first-round draft pick to acquire Jimmy Butler from the Heat earlier this month.
Five games later, Kerr looks like a genius again, Curry has been rejuvenated, Green has gotten his head on straight, and Golden State’s supporting cast—led by Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody, their current version of Barnes—has suddenly looked ready for prime time.
All because of Butler.
After being banished for all but five games since Dec. 20, Butler has been Iguodala-like since joining the resurgent Warriors.
He’s scored—102 points, second on the team to Curry’s 144—and done so efficiently, shooting 45.5%.
He’s rebounded—31 boards, just three fewer than team leader Kevon Looney.
He’s gotten the ball moving—28 assists, second only to Green’s 34.
He’s defended—eight steals, third to Green’s 13 and Podziemski’s 11.
Most importantly, he’s injected an aggressive mentality by example—getting to the free-throw line 47 times (making 41) and crashing the offensive glass with a team-leading 19 rebounds.
All of a sudden, Curry is shooting better (27-for-67 on 3-pointers), Green has rediscovered his all-around game (44 points, 24 rebounds, 34 assists, 13 steals, eight blocks), and Moody and Podziemski have silenced the pundits who complained about trading away valuable depth—combining for 135 points, 40 rebounds and 32 assists.
With four wins in five games in the Butler era, the Warriors have distanced themselves from the Spurs, passed the Suns and Kings, and—with a win Sunday—would move within a half-game of Dallas for the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference.
A top-six finish, which guarantees a postseason berth, looks realistic. A fifth championship in 11 years?
Never underestimate Iguodala … er, Butler.
Actually, the confusion is understandable, even though one has made his biggest impact on offense and the other on defense.
Iguodala is 6-foot-6, Butler 6-7. Both played for the Warriors, 76ers and Heat. Both have been All-Stars and All-Defensive selections.
And in the 21st-century version of the game, who would have imagined this? Both will get their numbers retired—possibly by multiple franchises—despite ranking among the worst 3-point shooters of their era.
At least they were smart enough to limit their attempts.
And get this:
Butler has played 844 career games, accumulating 4,513 rebounds.
In the first 844 games of his career, Iguodala totaled 4,606 rebounds.
The difference is negligible.
Butler has 3,622 assists; Iguodala, through game 844, had 3,947. Advantage: push.
Butler has 1,358 steals; Iguodala had 1,413. You get the idea.
Butler has 373 blocks; Iguodala had 407.
Butler has shot 47.2% overall and 32.9% from 3; Iguodala was at 46.2% and 33.3%.
The Warriors will raise Iguodala’s No. 9 on Sunday, but Chase Center has a high roof with plenty of room for more banners.
Butler might get his No. 10 retired up there someday. In the meantime, he and Warriors fans can improbably dream of something else.
An eighth championship.
Copyright 2025
