It was an interesting regular season for the Golden State Warriors as they faced many ups and downs throughout the year.
Golden State got off to a hot start to the season then hit a rough patch that saw them fall to as low as 11th in the Western Conference standings.
That all changed at the trade deadline when they acquired Jimmy Butler form the Miami Heat and Butler has made a major impact on the Warriors’ season.
After adding Butler, Golden State shot up the standings, eventually securing the seventh seed entering the postseason.
They were then able to clinch the seventh seed with a victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in the Play-In Tournament as they will now face off against the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs.
Ahead of Game 1 on Sunday, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr made an interesting comparison for Butler as he compared him to a Golden State legend for one key reason.
“(Butler) reminds me so much of Andre Iguodala from a personality standpoint,” Kerr said. “He almost doesn’t even really want to score. Like, Andre really loved the nuances of the game. He loved getting other people open. I feel the same about Jimmy. He really loves the game, and he really loves the chess match. Similar mentality of doing whatever it takes to win tonight. Really just a beautiful mentality.”
This is high praise coming from Kerr and a comparison that makes complete sense with how Butler has fit in on Golden State.
Butler has been able to take a step back to Stephen Curry and other players, allowing them to get their fair share of touches, the same that Iguodala did during his time there.
Also like Iguodala, Butler has a defensive-first mindset that has boded well for the Warriors and they now hope that he can help them win a title this season like Iguodala did during their dynasty.
