SAN FRANCISCO — Things the Warriors have learned in their short time with Jimmy Butler: He likes coffee, he lights candles and he seemingly brings out the best in everyone around him.
“And he likes to gamble here and there,” Gary Payton II said after practice Monday, adding to the list with a sheepish grin.
Dominoes aside, the Warriors are undoubtedly a better bet to make some noise this spring than they were before Butler’s arrival. And it’s not just his ability to draw contact and create shots on the offensive end, or the backside help and switchability he provides defensively.
It’s the impact he’s made on the rest of the roster.
“He’s one of the great players in the league, so when people play off of him, the game is simplified,” coach Steve Kerr said. “That’s what I’m seeing from Moses (Moody), BP (Brandin Podziemski), even with our stars. Even with Steph (Curry) and Draymond (Green), the game has gotten easier because we can play through Jimmy.”
Forget for a moment the Warriors’ 5-1 record with Butler, which has already pulled them within 1½ games of the No. 6 seed, and take a look at the underlying numbers.
Their offense has been one of the most efficient in the NBA (120.8 points per 100 possessions, sixth). Their defense has been even better (106.8, fourth). They are even committing far fewer turnovers (12.2 per game, seventh).
And the players who have been the biggest difference makers, according to plus-minus? Podziemski (plus-109), Green (plus-79) and Moody (plus-62).
“It’s just easier to make sense of everything when you’ve got a guy like (Butler) who’s out there reading possessions and making the right play over and over again,” Kerr said. “I think that’s one of the reasons why Jimmy made so much sense for us: Because of his basketball IQ, his passing, the way he connects the game at both ends.
“We’ve always been at our best when we can put a lot of IQ next to Steph and Dray to complement the chaos they create with a thoughtful, measured approach that gives us an all-around attack.”
While Curry has benefitted from the scoring burden being lifted from his shoulders and Green has enjoyed having another fiery presence in the locker room, Butler has seemingly rubbed off the most so far on the Warriors’ supporting cast, particularly young players such as Podziemski and Moody.
Podziemski recorded his first double-double of the season in Sunday’s win over Dallas, grabbing a career-high 13 rebounds to go with 17 points and is averaging 14.8 points per game since Butler’s arrival. Moody, averaging 13.0 over the same stretch, has scored in double figures in five of his six games with Butler, topped by a 22-point effort with five 3-pointers Friday at Sacramento.
“It’s just another high-IQ player,” Podziemski said. “The beauty of a guy with a high IQ is you can put him in any system and he’s going to figure it out. The transition has been seamless, and you guys have seen it for the six games now. … Similar to me, just being around a lot of high-IQ guys, it allows Moses (to know) his role and have a lot more mental clarity of what’s expected of him out there.”
Both players have become fixtures of a starting five that hasn’t given Kerr any reason to shake things up and has, in fact, solidified roles all the way down the roster. Buddy Hield, now a sixth man, dropped 22 on the Kings and was a plus-19 despite only making one basket Sunday. Quinten Post, the 52nd overall pick who started the season in the G League, has stepped up as the unlikely stretch big the undersized lineup demands.
But it all comes back to Butler.
“It’s really become apparent, I think, since Jimmy’s arrival how much more settled the game feels,” Kerr said. “We’re able to connect the offense to the defense and vice versa. We seem to be in control of games more so now. I think that’s helping our confidence and our belief. It’s fun to watch unfold.”
Almost as much fun has been getting to know Butler off the court and in the locker room, where he makes his presence known in a multi-sensory experience.
Butler has already shown a proclivity to pipe up, even taking the whiteboard and drawing up a play in his fifth game, but you might smell him before you hear him.
“I love the candles,” Payton said of the olfactory additions to the team’s pre- and postgame routine. “He’s got a variety. I’ve smelled a lot of different scents and I haven’t not liked one yet. I’m probably going to have to ask him about his candle collection.”
Perhaps wax and wicks are in the cards for Butler’s next business venture.
While many of his Warriors teammates hung around town and participated in the festivities of All-Star weekend, Butler used the downtime to focus on his second job, as a purveyor of small-batch (and high-priced) coffee beans. Kerr learned Butler was in Dubai, opening up a shop.
“Not many NBA players can claim that,” Kerr said. “He’s a very interesting guy. The reason he’s wearing No. 10 is he’s a soccer guy, he loves Neymar. I think his soccer background is displayed in his basketball game. But he’s a very worldly guy, a very thoughtful guy. And he happens to have a superstar body. … You throw all that together, he’s a really dynamic person in our locker room and clearly a dynamic player on the court.”
Kerr has compared Butler’s calming presence to Andre Iguodala, whom he used to call the team’s babysitter.
“Andre told me years ago that he didn’t like being referred to as ‘babysitter.’ That was my mistake,” Kerr said. “I need to think of a different metaphor, for sure. Designated driver. Jimmy’s our designated driver.”