Golden State Warrior star Draymond Green explained how his teammate Jimmy Butler is impacting the team amidst Stephen Curry's absencce
The Warriors have definitely dealt with their fair share of turbulence since acquiring Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline last season, but it’s safe to say the general consensus among both fans and pundits is that adding the veteran superstar has been a resoundingly good choice for the organization.
Since acquiring Butler, the Warriors have a 34-15 regular-season record overall. With Stephen Curry still making his way back from a quad injury suffered against the Houston Rockets on Thanksgiving Eve, Butler moved from his traditional Robin role into Batman, leading the Warriors with 24 points on 7-of-15 shooting while also dishing out 10 assists.
After the game, the Warriors’ spiritual leader, Draymond Green, made it clear just how much he and the rest of the team trusted Jimmy Butler to get the job done in the crucial moments of Saturday’s 104-96 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Green also explained how Butler’s gravity on the floor opened up opportunities for teammates like Gary Payton II.
“Most importantly, we just got the ball to Jimmy,” Green said when asked what the key to the most decisive stretch in the game was. “Then he certainly made all the right plays.
“Jimmy obviously draws a lot of attention when he's driving to the rim. And Gary was able to find all the open spots in their defense. He was great at cutting, rebounding the basketball, which was incredible. He did a great job of playing behind the defense, and Jimmy's always looking for an open man to go to.”
Imposing Will
While Green was certainly complimentary of Butler, he also made it clear that the Warriors need him to be even more aggressive in asserting himself on both ends of the floor when Curry isn’t available.
“Without Steph, we were trying to get him to attack that lane,” Green said. “And again, he just kept telling us they were loading up. So it creates a lot of movement and everything's loaded.
“Once we started moving and everybody else started moving around with him, then it opened gaps and he was able to do what he did. When Steph's not out there, we definitely need him to be more aggressive than he was tonight.”
The Warriors are back in action in a nationally-televised game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday, which will air on NBC and Peacock at 11 p.m. EST/8 P.M CST.