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Even the superstars need that reinforcement, and that's how Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry feels with Jimmy Butler on his team. When Butler was traded to the Warriors, it sparked some concern from outsiders. However, the immediate impacts are too evident to deny.
Curry has scored 30+ in his last four games, and Butler has been a part of those last two. The mix of slashing and perimeter scoring from the new duo has put the NBA on notice. Following Monday's win against the Milwaukee Bucks, the point guard explained simply how Butler's impact is being felt.
“Every possession doesn’t feel as hard,” Curry said via Anthony Slater of The Athletic on X (formerly Twitter).
Throughout this season, Curry has been the main scoring threat on the team. Although they have Jonathan Kuminga and Andrew Wiggins, no one had the perimeter presence of Curry. Defenses would swarm him and be content with those guys beating them.
Many of the elite teams now have a multitude of superstars. Still, they haven't had a player like Butler before. Even in his age-35 season, he continually puts pressure on the basket. That's something that Curry hasn't seen. Furthermore, he's been nicknamed “Playoff Jimmy” for how he stepped his game up during that time.
Stephen Curry loves Jimmy Butler's impact on the Warriors
Having that second star is essential for Curry. It takes pressure off of him and allows him to play the game with more fluidity. After all, the point guard is just as dangerous off the ball, as he is, on the ball. Butler has been known as an elite defender and playmaker.
He and Curry can feed off of each other, as evidenced by the first two games. Still, it's a small sample size, so that should be taken into account. However, Butler said that he's been ‘gassed' during the Warriors two games. Despite that, he's entered Kevin Durant territory with his statistics across the board.
Considering he expressed that sentiment, that might be a scary thing for the NBA. He's already playing smoothly with Curry and the rest of his team, and he's not in pristine condition. He spent the past month not playing NBA basketball. While he was likely practicing, being in game-day shape is different.
At the end of the day, more games will need to be played to decide. Considering that the two stars have meshed so well together already, this might be a telling sign of more things to come.
