Jimmy Butler’s trade saga has got to be one of the biggest plot twists in the NBA’s storyline this season (Oh, who am I kidding? We’ve got Luka and AD smirking in the corner). After rejecting the Golden State Warriors and flirting with the Suns, Butler now finds himself in the Bay Area. But there were no hard feelings, right? Now the small forward is rocking the Dubs jersey and his performances have got his teammates talking.

In a recent episode of The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis, Green was chatting about Jimmy with Davis, and recounted a conversation, “I said, ‘Brother, let me tell you something. This team don’t need your passing at all. With this team, you just score, like we need you to score 25, 30 points.'”. This friendly advice comes after Jimmy’s scoring dipped a little.

In his first game against the Bulls, Jimmy started with 25 points, 4 assists, and 2 rebounds, which was a pretty strong start. But then his score dropped to 20 points in the next game against the Bucks. However, this drop was compensated by him posting 9 rebounds and 6 assists.

Draymond praised Butler’s court vision, likening it to Steph’s, but emphasized the need for him to flip the switch. “You’re a great passer like Steph, so you’re naturally gonna see the path where it’s there, but we need you to think shoot first, score first…Like, that’s what we need you to be.”

Green’s message makes it clear—the Dubs want Butler to channel his inner bucket-getter and prioritize putting points on the board.

This season has seen Butler playing some monster matches. In the 25 games he played for the Heat, three of his games recorded him scoring over 30 points. In fact, despite a 125-124 loss to the Pistons, Jimmy showcased his all-around abilities, scoring 35 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists. The Warriors are hoping to unlock that level of performance consistently.

What were the problems of the Golden State before Jimmy Butler’s arrival?

Before Butler arrived, the Warriors were dangerously predictable. Their offense? Mostly Steph Curry chucking threes and praying for backup. Now, they have a second offensive star. With Butler on board, they’ve finally added another go-to scorer—one who can bully his way to the hoop and break down defenses.

Of course, Butler isn’t in peak form yet. After a rocky start to the season filled with injuries and suspensions, he admitted he’s still catching his breath. But his impact is already undeniable. In his first two games as a Warrior, Butler helped the team secure back-to-back wins, boosting their record to 27-26 and keeping their playoff hopes alive.

Even Steve Kerr has expressed his confidence in him. “I just think we had gotten to a point this year where we didn’t have whatever ‘it’ is,” said the team’s head coach in an interview. “We didn’t have the ‘it’ factor anymore. Wasn’t anybody’s fault. … Frankly, we needed what Jimmy is bringing us. Kind of a star confidence. You can just feel his presence and his force. It’s infusing the team with some new energy that we needed.” 

Now, the question is whether Butler can keep this momentum going and push Golden State back into serious playoff contention. If his recent history is any indicator, things are about to Heat up in the Bay!