The Warriors’ last two games might have made some key revelations about the franchise’s future. As they fought hard to book a playoff spot, Jonathan Kuminga struggled to find a role in Steve Kerr’s rotation. The forward received back-to-back DNPs against the Clippers and Grizzlies. In his absence, Jimmy Butler stepped up his game and proved why he deserves the ‘Playoff Jimmy’ tag—well, Play-In Jimmy now, since the introduction of the qualifying tournament.

Against the Clippers, the former Heat star dropped a 30-piece along with nine assists. Unfortunately, the Warriors ended up losing in overtime, blowing their chance of bagging the sixth seed. But Jimmy was not going to let it happen again on Tuesday. Facing the Grizzlies at home, he put up 38 points and led his team to victory, clinching the seventh seed. And even his teammate Draymond Green was left in awe of Butler’s sudden scoring outburst.

“Man, I like it. It’s crazy because you are kind of just making that adjustment to it though like he turned it up 10 notches the last two games.” Green said on his podcast. Well, Jimmy has been doing this his entire career. Although he remains a consistent 20-point scorer during the regular season, he elevates his game to a whole new level when the stakes get high.

Even during his run to the NBA Finals two years ago, Jimmy upped his numbers to 26.9 points and nearly seven rebounds in the playoffs. While Draymond was already aware of Jimmy’s potential, seeing it up close is a completely different experience.

The former DPOY continued, “Seeing that now being able to make the adjustment, I’m excited to start these playoffs because I can figure out more and more different ways of spots to get to in order to take advantage of everything that he’s bringing. And I can finish better around the rim to take advantage of everything he’s bringing.”

Now that Green has seen what Jimmy is capable of, he plans on studying more film and figuring out how he can help his teammate maintain his form in the playoffs. It could bring a major change in the Warriors’ playing style as they begin deferring to Jimmy even more. While that’s a positive sign for the team, it could mean trouble for Kuminga’s future.

Ever since Jimmy’s arrival, Kerr has found it difficult to fit JK into the lineup because of their similar playing style. And now that the Warriors are planning to defer to Butler even more, Kuminga could continue to face more declining minutes in the playoffs.

That friction has become more pronounced with the Warriors reportedly leaning into Butler as a primary two-way engine for their playoff push.

And the ripple effect is unmistakable: Kuminga’s minutes have been trending down. The message from the coaching staff isn’t verbal—it’s in the rotation. The Warriors appear to be prioritizing win-now poise over developmental reps.

It’s a tough pill for Kuminga, whose athletic upside and defensive versatility once made him a projected cornerstone. But Draymond Green’s recent praise for Butler speaks volumes about the internal shift in trust and hierarchy. And right now, all signs point toward Butler becoming the featured wing in Kerr’s playoff blueprint—leaving Kuminga on the outside looking in.

Looks like the Warriors have moved on from the young forward. While Kuminga’s future remains in jeopardy, Draymond couldn’t stop raving about Butler’s dominant performance, “He’s been saying, he’s like ‘Yo, the playoffs I’m different and I play different.’ And he definitely played different. So, I’m excited as hell man… I mean he’s a totally different player on both sides of the floor. It is crazy.” Further displaying his trust in Jimmy, Draymond also resonated with his public message.

Draymond Green confirms Warriors’ energy after Jimmy Butler’s cryptic post ahead of Rockets series

During the All-Star Weekend, Draymond publicly claimed that the Warriors would win the championship this year. While the idea still seems far-fetched, they are a lot closer to that goal than they were then, all thanks to Jimmy’s arrival. And looks like Jimmy is not done. After clinching the seventh seed on Tuesday, he made a cryptic post on IG, “Once upon a time there was a seven seed… TO BE CONTINUED.”

Yes, Butler seems ready to write his first triumphant story with the Warriors as they aim to overcome the odds and win the title. Turns out, Draymond is also on the same page, as he reacted to Jimmy’s post on his podcast, “That’s definitely the energy for the team. Listen, we just we need to get in and we’ve been saying it the whole time, just get in the playoffs. Don’t matter what seed, didn’t really wanna be in the play-in alright it happened, let’s get it done, let’s get in. And now, it’s go time.”

Because of their four previous title runs, Draymond and the Warriors have the belief that they can beat any team in a seven-game series. Meanwhile, Jimmy already did the unthinkable two years ago when he led the eighth seeded Heat to the NBA Finals. So, another such run in the Bay Area does not seem to be impossible. Even Draymond is ready to add a new chapter to his legacy, “Once upon a time there was a seventh seed. To be continued…”