“Help someone not for the reward but for the sake of changing a life.” Jimmy Butler has been doing something similar for Stephen Curry in the Golden State Warriors. It was just a few months that Butler had cleared his intentions that he wouldn’t sign with GSW even if traded to the team. It seems, however, he’s taking his job seriously now. Not only has Butler seamlessly fit with his new team but he’s reportedly having input into the Warriors’ strategy, even making alterations to it. However, somewhat of the credit for this initiative from Butler goes to Dwyane Wade. Surprisingly, though, this has nothing to do with their respective time in the Miami Heat.

On a recent episode of the Just Win Podcast, Wade took a trip down memory lane, recalling a moment from his days with the Chicago Bulls. Back then, he, Butler, and Rajon Rondo were sharing the court, and Wade got a firsthand look at the kind of leadership that Butler seems to be channeling now.

Flashback to the 2017 playoffs—Game 2 of the first round against the Boston Celtics. The Bulls had already taken Game 1, and Jimmy Butler had been the star of the night, dropping 30 points. Naturally, head coach Fred Hoiberg designed the game plan around Butler, expecting him to carry the load again. But Rondo had other ideas.

Once the official team meeting wrapped up, Rondo took matters into his own hands, grabbing the strategy board and commanding attention—even from Hoiberg himself. Wade remembers the moment vividly.

“Fred stays in the room with us. Rondo, look at me. He said, ‘all right, they’re planning for Jimmy. They’re playing it for the defensive schemes. We’re not doing that. D. Wade is your game. This is what this is in the morning, the show game. This is how we gonna get you off,'” Wade shared on the podcast.

And just like that, Rondo reshaped the Bulls’ offensive strategy to center on Dwyane Wade. The result? “He did. He did exactly that. Offensively, offensively they couldn’t do nothing. And defensively, they were prepared for Jimmy. They wasn’t prepared for a 35-year-old me. And so now I go, you lit their ass up. And I needed that confidence… I needed that confidence from Rondo,” Wade admitted.

And now watching Jimmy Butler do the same for the Warriors is no less than a full-circle moment.

How has Jimmy Butler positively impacted the Golden State Warriors?

The praise for Jimmy Butler’s influence on the Warriors has been nonstop. Some might even call it excessive. But in reality, it’s completely justified. Even though the playoffs are still two months away, the Warriors are already seeing glimpses of Playoff Jimmy. And the difference he’s making? It’s impossible to ignore.

Since Butler joined, the team has posted a 5-1 record, but the actual proof lies in the numbers. Before his arrival, Golden State ranked 18th in offensive rating—now, they’ve jumped to sixth. Defensively, they’ve climbed from 10th to fifth.

Their ball movement has been sharper than ever, with assists per game rising from ninth to third and their assist-to-turnover ratio improving from eighth to third. They’ve also gone from ninth to second in steals while reducing turnovers, moving from 12th to fifth.

Simply put, Butler has been a game-changer. Now all that’s to be seen is if Butler can be an addition that restores the Golden State Warriors the glory they once had.