Jimmy Butler had things to do, and he made sure everyone knew about it.
He had to leave a game quickly to teach a late-night dominoes lesson. But before leaving, he playfully teased teammate Buddy Hield: “Buddy, spell connector.”
Hield started, “Connect Four? Connector? … Connector, C-O-N,” and someone close by stepped in to help.
Butler yelled, “Aww, man, don’t help him! Exactly my point, y’all see that?”
Earlier, Hield had called Butler a “connector.”
Butler brushed off the compliment, saying, “Don’t listen to anything Buddy says, ever, he can’t even spell connector.”
Still, no one in the Warriors’ organization would argue that Butler has been a true connector since joining the team last month in a trade from Miami. He immediately helped improve the team once he put on his new uniform.
“He stabilized everything immediately,” said Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone after his team beat Golden State 114-105 on Monday.
Butler’s role will be even more important now as Stephen Curry recovers from a pelvic injury he sustained on Thursday night. Curry will miss the Warriors’ game against the Hawks on Saturday.
Any injury to Curry is a concern for Golden State, but Butler is excited to be part of the playoff push and to play alongside Curry and Draymond Green as they try for another championship.
“All the value just lies within winning as a whole,” Butler said recently. “I’m glad that I have the opportunity to be a part of the winning that we’re doing here. We’re just playing some incredible basketball, playing together on both sides of the floor, and it’s really fun.”
He recorded Golden State’s first triple-double of the season on March 10 against Portland, saying afterward, “You can’t get a triple-double without your teammates.”
Golden State Warriors players in the 2nd halfCurry admires Butler’s consistency
The Warriors won 14 of the first 15 games Butler played, which helped improve their position in the tough Western Conference. Since acquiring Butler, they are 16-3, and Curry is impressed with how quickly Butler became comfortable, fitting into a new system.
“None of us are going to get off on regular-season accomplishments,” Curry said. “We have to perform and put ourselves in playoff position to be a team that nobody wants to face and be a tough challenge no matter who the matchup is.
We’re building toward that. It’s pretty clear as day the difference in not just the record but how we’re playing, how we’re winning and his impact on the game.”
Curry admires Butler for being “super consistent, a professional, there’s been a lot of eyeballs on him all season, pre-trade, post-trade and all that, but I love the way he’s approached everything.”
So, how good is Butler’s dominoes game?
“Great, I’m probably the best in the world,” the 35-year-old forward said, noting he plays “every day, too many hours out of the day.”
In addition to the fun they’re having behind the scenes, Butler’s impact on both sides of the court has helped ease some of the pressure off Curry. The Warriors are doing well again, and general manager Mike Dunleavy is being praised for taking a risk on a big trade — one that sent high-scoring Andrew Wiggins to South Florida.
Kerr: Butler makes everyone better
Butler will play against Miami on Tuesday night in his return with Golden State. He is grabbing important offensive rebounds. He runs the point guard position and creates shots for everyone, taking his own shots when needed.
“Great basketball player. He does everything well, he sees the game, he’s strong, loves to pass, the game just flows when he’s out there,” coach Steve Kerr said. “And he feels it. Whatever the game calls for, Jimmy brings and he’s the main reason that things have turned for us.
He’s one of the best players in the league and he makes everybody else around him better.”
In January, Butler wasn’t happy in Miami and wanted a change — “I want to see me get my joy back from playing basketball, wherever that may be,” he said — wanting to be a winner and make an impact.
Butler found his place out West.
Jimmy Butler and Gary Trent Jr. in the 2nd half“He affects winning, and winning affects everything else,” guard Moses Moody said. “When we’re playing good it’s a lot easier to be cool off the court. He is who he is.
He has a big presence, he’s authentic to himself, so he does the candles, music, however he’s feeling whatever it is. He definitely has a presence in the locker room. He’s a real dude, and real dudes are contagious.”
And “Playoff Jimmy,” as he is known for his clutch performances in the playoffs, is doing everything to help Golden State improve their position as the season finishes.
“I think since Day 1 when Jimmy arrived in the bay he’s been ‘Playoff Jimmy.’ He couldn’t wait and they couldn’t wait,” Malone said. “When you go to a new team and new surroundings and a new culture, he’s come in from Day 1 and I think just been Jimmy Butler and the best version of Jimmy Butler.”
Butler says he hasn’t changed his game playing alongside Curry and Green — he knew them well already as an opponent.
“I play the same way, shoot the ball when I’m open, pass it more often than not and play some defense,” he said. “I think it’s everything that I expected, everything that I could actually dream of, too, if we’re being brutally honest.
They just want to win, there ain’t no individual goals here, they don’t care who scores, they don’t care who gets triple-doubles, they don’t care about none of that. All they want to do is win a championship.”
