The Warriors’ mid-season turnaround has been nothing short of wild! A team that looked lost, a squad people were starting to write off, has suddenly become one of the most dangerous threats in the West. And yeah, Jimmy Butler’s arrival has been a massive part of that. But if you ask Draymond Green, this resurgence isn’t just about adding another star. There’s something much deeper at play, something that goes beyond stats, and talent.

After the Warriors’ 114-102 win over the Knicks, Draymond laid it all out. He didn’t just talk about what’s changed on the court—he talked about what’s changed inside the team. He made it clear that this isn’t just about Butler—it’s about a shift in mindset, a rediscovery of something they had lost. And what he said? It wasn’t just a message for the Warriors. It was a message for every team in the league.

The Warriors’ season started off strong. They had confidence. They had rhythm. And everything felt like it was falling into place. Then, all of a sudden, it wasn’t. Losses piled up, doubt crept in, and slowly but surely, that confidence started to slip away. Draymond could feel it. “We started off the season great, had a lot of confidence,” he said. “Didn’t go our way for a while. We still kept the confidence, and then it just started to wane.”

Then, the Butler trade happened. A lot of people assumed that was the fix, that Butler’s arrival was the magic switch that turned everything around. But Draymond sees it differently. He knows Jimmy was exactly what they needed—but not just because of his skills. “He definitely was what we were missing,” he admitted. “But I’m confident. Steph can be confident. But if you’re not collectively confident as a group, you can’t win.”

That was the real issue. Confidence wasn’t just fading from a few guys—it was disappearing from the whole team. Draymond made it clear that individual belief isn’t enough. “You can have one guy, I can be confident, Steph can be confident,” he said, “but if you’re not collectively confident in the group, you can’t win.”

That’s what Jimmy Butler brought back. He didn’t just add defense or scoring—he reignited something within the team. “It’s not necessarily that he’s made me more confident, or made Steph more confident,” Draymond clarified. “He’s made this group confident.”

Why Confidence is the Key to Winning in the NBA

For Draymond, confidence isn’t just some intangible thing—it’s the difference between winning and losing. “When you see a guy lose confidence in this league, they’re toast,” he said bluntly. “Same for a team. Once a team loses confidence, they’re toast.” And he’s right. You see it all the time. Teams stacked with stars, loaded with talent, yet they struggle. The Lakers. The Sixers. The Heat. On paper, they should be dominant, but something feels off. That something is belief.

If you want proof of how much the Warriors have changed, just look at one moment from that Knicks game. Second half, the Warriors are making a push, and Draymond dives for a loose ball. He just barely gets a hand on it, tips it to Butler, who instantly finds Stephen Curry for a three. That sequence? That’s everything!

Draymond felt it, too. “Those are the plays that do it,” he said. “You build trust through plays like that. You build more admiration for each other from plays like that.” That’s what was missing earlier in the season. Not just execution. Not just playmaking. But trust. Those little moments that create chemistry, that remind a team why they believe in each other.

That’s why the Warriors’ 114-102 win over the Knicks wasn’t just another game—it was a statement. The Knicks came out strong, building a 10-point lead by halftime. But in the second half, the Warriors flipped the switch. They outscored New York 67-47, completely taking control. The absence of Karl-Anthony Towns hurt the Knicks inside, and the Warriors exploited that, something they weren’t doing earlier in the season. With only 20 games left, this team is peaking at the perfect time. You can feel it when you watch them. The energy is different. The belief is back.

The biggest lesson from all this? Talent alone doesn’t win championships (just look at the Suns). A team can have all the stars in the world, but if they lose confidence, they’re finished. The Warriors were teetering on that edge. They were dangerously close to falling apart. Jimmy Butler’s arrival didn’t just give them another weapon—it saved them. It reminded them of who they were. “Credit to Mike for getting that, making that move,“ Draymond said.

And now? Now, the Warriors believe again. And if there’s one thing history has taught us, it’s that a confident Warriors team is a terrifying one.