If one were so inclined, there are any number of rabbit holes to be explored on the topic of the Warriors and star forward Jimmy Butler. A year ago, of course, Butler forced his way out of Miami when the Heat were unwilling to give him the contract extension he wanted, and the star-starved Warriors scooped him up in a trade built around Andrew Wiggins. The Warriors went 24-8 to close the year, beat the Rockets in the playoffs and raised some hope for how Butler would affect the team in 2025-26.
All that seems a long time ago. Butler has been fine statistically this season–19.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 51.0% shooting, 44.4% 3-point shooting–but the Warriors are just 13-14 overall and 12-11 when Butler plays. It’s not very clear why things are not working for Golden State this year after last year’s initial success.
Warriors Struggle to Identify Jimmy Butler Problem
Butler has a very deliberate, slow-paced style of play. Is he not fitting with a Warriors team that needs to play with more tempo to make up for their lack of size? Or is the problem the other way around–are the Warriors not doing enough to slow the pace and get the ball to Butler?
One problem for the Warriors is that they, themselves, don’t seem to have an answer. Coach Steve Kerr spoke at length about the topic after Sunday’s disappointing loss to the Blazers, a young team that simply played too fast for the Warriors to keep up. Butler has taken just 32 shots in three games since coming back from a knee injury.
He was 3-for-11 against Portland, but did make 10 of 11 free throws.
Steve Kerr Wants to Get the Ball Into Jimmy Butler’s Hands
Kerr pointed the finger at himself for this current Warriors conundrum.
“I gotta find a way to get him more into the groove of the game, you know. Eleven shots—I don’t really consider Jimmy’s game to be dependent on how many shots he gets. But we do need his scoring, we do need his playmaking,” Kerr said.
“I thought we did a better job last year of putting him into position to attack and create shots for people. We need to get back to that type of control of the game where we are going to him the halfcourt, especially when Steph is out, where we’re going to him the half-court, taking care of the ball, turning the other team over, controlling the game. And we’re not there. We’ve had a few moments during the season, but we’re not able to consistently put the ball into Jimmy hands and letting him control games like we did at the end of last year.”
Much Riding on Warriors Finding a Solution
Kerr was asked why that is, and as many problems that have cropped up here in the early season for the Warriors–size, speed, age, Jonathan Kuminga–the Jimmy Butler problem has to be No. 1 on the list of problems that need a solution. The Warriors gave Butler a $110 million extension last year, and they’ve got $56 million invest in him for 2026-27.
Kerr said, essentially, that he needs to be more forceful about calling plays for Butler, and players need to be more cognizant of getting Butler into the offense.
“I think we are a little bit more in our random flow and I think we need to be more particular about getting to some sets where we know we can get him the ball,” Kerr said. “There have been times over the last week, I think the Minnesota game he went four straight possessions without touching the ball when Steph was not on the floor. And that’s on me.
“It’s also on our players to understand, I can’t call a play every time, nor do I want to. So we have to find a way in collaboration as a staff and players to make sure we’re playing through Jimmy and getting the game under control.”
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