The Golden State Warriors have been rolling with Jimmy Butler, going 5-1 since he replaced Andrew Wiggins as Stephen Curry‘s co-star.
In fact, every team that they’ve defeated is currently in postseason contention. Still, Golden State has to be careful not to mistake fool’s gold for the real thing. Though they’ve been coming out on top, their opponents weren’t at the top of their game.
They faced the Chicago Bulls after they traded Zach LaVine, the Sacramento Kings after they traded De’Aaron Fox, the Milwaukee Bucks while they were missing Giannis Antetokoumpo, and the Dallas Mavericks after they traded Luka Doncic and while they were missing Anthony Davis. They also managed to lose to that same Mavs team. Thus, while the Warriors see momentum swinging their way, it could be a trick of the light.
Jonathan Kuminga’s Impending Return Will Test Warriors
Given Butler’s impact, he’s been a stronger fit for Golden State than Wiggins. The six-time All-Star hasn’t just been better at guarding the opponent’s top player. He’s been more assertive offensively, his interior gravity has complemented Curry’s perimeter dominance. He’s been a more involved and sophisticated playmaker.
His production is on-point too. As a Warrior, he averages 20.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. For comparison, Wiggins was averaging 17.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 0.9 steals per game with Golden State in 2024-25.
There’s just one problem.
Since the trade to Golden State, Butler is shooting 10.0 percent from outside while taking 1.7 three-point attempts per game. For reference, Wiggins was shooting 37.9 percent from three with the Warriors this season. In a vacuum, this might not be overly concerning because of everything else he brings to the table. However, with Jonathan Kuminga‘s return around the corner, Golden State has a conundrum.
Jonathan Kuminga scrimmaged yesterday. First 5-on-5 live contact. Important step in his impending return. Kuminga will miss these next two home games and be re-evaluated prior to five-game road trip. pic.twitter.com/ACmmgJiuj6
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 23, 2025
Starting Kuminga is now even less feasible, even if Draymond Green starts at center.
Mixing and Matching
On the one hand, teams will want the personnel to match up with their athleticism. Yet, because Green nor Butler not Kuminga has been striking fear into their opponents from beyond the arc, they could be content to clog the paint. Top-locking and face-guarding Curry, as teams are prone to do, often only requires one player. The other four can cheat to make their frontcourt’s lives easier.
It must be noted that Kuminga’s converting 40.5 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3-pointers this season. Nonetheless, even going back to his high school days, the Congolese forward strongly prefers to score inside the arc. That being said, he might be able to learn more from Butler than Wiggins but Wiggins’s 3-and-D mindset complemented his skillset better.
In any case, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has obviously been okay with bringing Kuminga off the bench. This has allowed both Kerr and Kuminga to play the style they want to. Furthermore, the Warriors have four rotation players shooting above 36 percent from three and who don’t mind dialing in from downtown that he could play alongside.
It’s still unfortunate though given the role that Kuminga clearly wants to play.
Death Lineup Returns?
When the Warriors were their most dangerous, they had what was called a Death Lineup. This was a five-man unit that leaned into small-ball concepts but still managed to dominate defensively. The question is: does Golden State have one now?
In short, the answer appears to be yes.
The quartet of Curry, Butler, Green, and Kuminga are widely considered to be their top players. If comparing this group to their previous iterations, they’re far less formidable from outside collectively. Neither Butler nor Kuminga quite measures up to Harrison Barnes, Kevin Durant, or Klay Thompson as a deep threat.
However, Butler’s playmaking ability makes him more of a foil for Andre Iguodala, whose jersey they retired on Sunday. Kuminga would then have to be able to replicate what Barnes or Durant brought to the table. It’s not impossible but given his shot profile and mentality, the mirror might be a little blurry.
Now, to be fair, the Warriors’ fifth-best player is arguably Brandin Podziemski, a multi-faceted and virtually positionless perimeter playmaker. With that in mind, he’s similar to Iguodala as well. Nevertheless, now that they have Butler, they’d likely supplant Podziemski with Moses Moody. Moody, a career 36.8 percent three-point shooter who makes a positive impact defensively, would have less trouble playing the role that Thompson once did.
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