"I got a chance to try to win again."
In other words, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr has become a completely different team. Just two months ago, the winning rate of 50% was broken, and Golden State, which was ranked as low as 12th in the Western Conference, has become a completely different team.
The turning point was the acquisition of Jimmy Butler. The trade was successful during the season.
In the 15 games Butler played, Golden State has 14 wins and 1 loss, and the winning rate is 93.3 percent. The ranking of the Western Conference has risen to sixth.
So why is Butler coming and Golden State doing well?
In terms of Butler's personal record, he is still the same as the Miami Heat. After moving to Golden State, Butler had 16.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.9 assists on average. His field goal success rate is 44.2 percent, which is lower than expected.
What matters is team play. Golden State is the team that uses screens the most in the NBA. When there is no ball, it moves the most.
Players from outside have difficulties adapting themselves to the situation. However, Butler seems to have played for the Golden State for a long time. He focuses more on assembling games than shooting, and also shows off his combination play with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.
Since the trade with Golden State was decided, Butler has given up his personal greed. In a recent interview, he said, "I just came to win. I don't care about anything else. I don't care about how many points I scored or how my shot is. I came to Golden State only to win. Please tell me anything you need to win," and added, "My energy is at its highest since my debut. I have a strong goal to win."
The happiest moment for Butler is Curry. Until now, Curry had been lonely. The team that faced the Golden State added two or three defenders to Curry unconditionally. Curry tried to defend himself by doing his best to block Curry even if the other team easily lost a point.
There was no player to ease Curry's burden. It is different now. 안전놀이터
Butler lightens Curry's shoulders with two options. Curry said, "Butler came and I can play more comfortably. I like his consistent and professional style. I like how he approaches basketball."
This can be seen in the record as well. Before joining Butler, Curry had an average success rate of 22.7 points and 3-pointers at 38.9 percent. Due to the trade, Butler's success rate of 28.6 points and 3-pointers per game increased significantly to 41.4 percent.
The rest of the players, including Green and Moses Moody, have also increased their offense power. The fact that there are players other than Curry who can score with a one-on-one attack has produced more-than-expected effects.
With the performance of Golden State that he displayed recently, he deserves to win the title, as Kerr said. Notably, Butler becomes stronger in the playoffs than in the regular season. That's why his nickname is "Playoff Jimmy."
The Gold State team is now going through a real test. It will face off against the Denver Nuggets, where Nikola Jokic will stay, and the Milwaukee Bucks, led by Yannis Antetokounmpo.
The opponents are not easy. If the team wins consecutively, it will be difficult to stop Golden State for a while.