The Golden State Warriors have gotten off to a strong start to the Jimmy Butler era, winners of four out of their five games since trading for the former disgruntled Miami Heat star. The Warriors’ offense has looked much more stable since acquiring the former All-Star, and their defense has also understandably leveled up in the weeks since the trade.
According to all of the latest reports, the Warriors’ love for Jimmy Butler is also being reciprocated so far in his time in the Bay Area.
“You talk to people around Jimmy Butler, he is in the full-blown honeymoon right now [with the Warriors]. … They operate a little bit like the military… they take care of their players,” reported ESPN insider Brian Windhorst on NBA Countdown Sunday afternoon.
The Warriors have indeed built up a reputation for being a player-friendly organization over the years, even if Klay Thompson might beg to differ with that statement given how his tenure with the franchise ended.
Can the Warriors compete now?
Despite the addition of Butler, the Warriors would still figure to be behind teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, and now apparently the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference pecking order.
Still, Butler is a player who has dragged multiple mediocre teams to NBA Finals appearances and has a habit of turning up the intensity once the playoffs roll around.
The Warriors will likely have to treat every game remaining in the regular season like the playoffs in order to even make it to the postseason, as the team currently sits in ninth place in the Conference, just two games above the play-in line.
However, that shouldn’t be a problem for Butler and Stephen Curry, who have both played their fair share of high leverage games over the years. Curry has seen his production increase since the Butler acquisition, appearing to have put a rare rough patch fully behind him over the last couple of weeks.
In any case, the Warriors will next take the floor on Sunday afternoon at home against the Dallas Mavericks.
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