The evidence is still in its early stages, but four games in, newly acquired Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler has Draymond Green singing his praises. Butler joined up with Green and Steph Curry following an ugly exit out of South Beach. Unfortunately, the trade included beloved Warriors player Andrew Wiggins in the process. However, on the other side of things now, Golden State already looks different. Butler is already igniting his presence and energy on the floor. The question is: how long will Butler’s run in The Bay last before it too takes a dark turn?
Warriors’ Draymond Green Salutes ‘Franchise Changer’ Teammate
Warriors Trade for Jimmy Butler Has Draymond Green Hyped Up
Butler is a great basketball player; no one disputes that. Is he Hall of Fame-bound? It’s possible. He reinvigorated the Miami Heat after the LeBron James era, and before that, he was already showing how different he was as a player in terms of his work ethic and standards. However, there is a knock, if you want to label it as such, that overshadows Butler’s greatness and career. He has the ability to latch onto a new group and a new team and provide a jolt of production and culture. However, it’s not long until that aura only Butler can create soon begins to wear off. It happened in Minnesota, Philadelphia, and now, Miami. Is it fair to question how long Butler’s aura will last before it evaporates in Golden State? The answer is yes.
One man, on his way to the Hall of Fame, is looking at things differently now that Jimmy has arrived with the Warriors. Green had nothing but high praise toward his new teammate when speaking with the media recently. His comments followed Golden State’s win over the Houston Rockets to close out the season’s midway point just in time for the NBA’s All-Star break.
“He’s [Butler] a franchise changer, he’s done that everywhere he’s gone and he is helping revitalize what we got here. The belief amongst this team, now that he’s arrived, as opposed to what it was before he got here, it’s night and day.”
For Now…
Green isn’t wrong—Butler has initiated change in each of his pitstops since beginning his NBA career with the Chicago Bulls. He’s already showing signs of making a significant difference on the Warriors. Their playoff chances increased by trading for him. What Green left out is that despite Butler’s “franchise-changing” abilities, his trademark is not staying around for too long. The Warriors extended him, so obviously, they feel good about Butler’s presence in Golden State for a little while. Still, you can’t blame someone for being wary about everything—Butler’s greatness comes with a track record.
For now, Golden State has found a new lease on life, and there are no signs of chemistry issues between Butler, Curry, and Green. As for Steve Kerr, Butler’s addition has him feeling like the days of Kevin Durant, although he and Butler play a much different game. The vibes are similar, at the very least. For now, it’s a 27-game march to the playoffs, hopefully avoiding the play-in along the way.
© Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
