On how a “Small” action expands the dynamic between Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler

Warriors enter the break on a winning note.

Upon Jimmy Butler’s acquisition by the Golden State Warriors, it was easy to envision him running a plethora of two-man actions with Steph Curry, given how Butler has previously shown how well he can play off of smaller teammates, both as a screener and as a ball handler. The latter is of particular note — Butler’s ability to handle the ball and make sound decisions dictates that actions involving a smaller teammate screening for him in “inverted” pick-and-roll setups should be a regular part of the diet.

Previous possessions of Butler running inverted pick-and-rolls with Kyle Lowry in Miami are evidence of such:

Of course, the Golden State Warriors are no strangers to the concept of the inverted pick-and-roll, having run it plenty of times with Curry as the screener for bigger ball-handling wings such as Jonathan Kuminga and Andrew Wiggins. Even Draymond Green, a unicorn when it comes to ball handling, has been a benefactor of Curry’s deceivingly bone-crunching picks:

It wasn’t far-fetched to deduce that if Wiggins and Kuminga — who both profile similarly to Butler in terms of physical makeup but are inferior ball handlers and decision makers — can thrive using Curry as the screener, there was reason to think that not only could Butler succeed in a similar setup; he could add more to it due to his superior ball handling, decision making, and passing.

With Wiggins’ departure for South Beach and Kuminga continuing to be sidelined due to his ankle injury, the only viable candidates left for handling the ball with Curry setting the screen were Butler and Green — both notable for their low volume of three-point attempts as well as low efficiency from beyond the arc. But that did not stop the Warriors from theorizing Butler in situations that had him handle the ball with Curry setting the screen. They did not waste time in trying the action, running it as early as Butler’s first game as a Warrior:

The instance above was called with only theory in mind. Butler had virtually zero prep time, let alone any sort of practice before the game against the Chicago Bulls. It was only before the next game against the Milwaukee Bucks where Butler and Curry were able to walk through a couple of inverted pick-and-roll scenarios together, with help from assistant coaches.

While it’s hard to deduce what exactly assistant coach Bruce Fraser is telling Butler above, Fraser pointing to the corner may have had something to do with the options Butler is presented with upon Curry setting the screen. Of course, Curry drawing attention and causing coverage confusion at the point of the screen allows for Butler to turn the corner and attack the rim. Alternatively, if too much attention comes Butler’s way, he can pass the ball back to Curry on the pop, or to another teammate.

Butler and Curry being polar opposites is what makes this setup potentially devastating. Butler is allergic to three-point shooting but is more than willing to attack the rim, while Curry is a supreme volume three-point shooter. Both of these traits, when combined, form the perfect framework of a pick-and-roll, regardless of who’s handling the ball and who’s setting the screen.

Butler has previously matched Curry’s excellence as a pick-and-roll ball handler. During the Miami Heat’s 2022-23 regular season, one that eventually produced a Finals run, the Heat scored 1.035 points per possession on pick-and-rolls where Butler was the ball handler, per Synergy (this includes possessions that ended in either a Butler shot attempt, a shot attempt from the screener, and a shot attempt from a third teammate to whom Butler passed to). That number remained above average during the 2023 Playoffs at 1.020 points per possession.

With those in mind, the two-man game between Butler and Curry was a sandbox of possibilities — and an avenue through which the Warriors’ ailing half-court offense could be injected with an infusion of efficiency. When Fraser pointed to the corner while speaking to Butler, it may have involved the possibility of involving a third teammate in the action — namely, Green.

During the Houston Rockets’ attempt to rally back from a 24-point deficit — with just under three minutes left in the game and the Warriors holding on to a seven-point lead — Steve Kerr sauntered near the half-court mark to call for an inverted pick-and-roll. Kerr’s hand signal for it is similar to the popular “too small” taunt prevalent in the modern NBA:

To keep things civil and simple, the Warriors call it “Small” — which could be a reference to having a smaller screener, the prospect of having a smaller defender switch onto the bigger ball handler, or both. In any case, the ramifications of Curry setting a screen for Butler with Green in the strong-side corner is by no means small.

Before Curry can even come close to set a screen, Butler lasers the ball toward Green in the corner, with the intention of having Green run “blind” or “dead corner” dribble handoff action with Curry, another concept the Warriors have previously made use of to counter defenders sagging off of non-shooters such as Green and Kevon Looney.

When Curry gets ready to receive the handoff by running toward the corner, he draws plenty of attention — as expected. Butler finds himself unmarked, with a wide-open lane in front of him. Jock Landale is no position to cover Butler, having been drawn in by the possibility of Curry getting open around the handoff. The possibility of either Amen Thompson or Aaron Holiday pinching in to get in Butler’s way is there, but at the risk of helping off of Moses Moody or Brandin Podziemski, both of whom have been threats to either shoot the ball, attack closeouts with force and confidence, or swing the pass to the man left open.

When it was Butler’s proficiency as a pick-and-roll ball handler that was expected to stand out in the possession above, it ended up being Butler’s excellence as a cutter that ultimately helped finish the possession. In the 2022-23 season with the Heat (regular season and playoffs combined), Butler scored an astounding 1.420 points per cut. That piece of evidence foretold Butler’s fit within this read-and-react ecosystem that requires situational awareness — a trait Butler has in abundance.

In only four games of the Jimmy Butler era — with a 3-1 record to show for it — the Warriors’ new acquisition has already proved himself to be quite the fortuitous addition in several aspects. With more games to go in the stretch run after the All-Star Break, the possibilities involving Butler will continue to expand — and with it, the Warriors’ chances of making noise in the postseason.