Jimmy Butler’s ‘principled’ approach gives a preview of Warriors’ offense without Steph Curry

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Jimmy Butler’s ‘principled’ approach gives a preview of Warriors’ offense without Steph Curry

Kenzo Fukuda, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Sun, Nov 30, 2025 ·

7 min read

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The post Jimmy Butler's 'principled' approach gives a preview of Warriors' offense without Steph Curry appeared first on ClutchPoints .

SAN FRANCISCO– Most of the Golden State Warriors ' 104-96 victory over the rudderless New Orleans Pelicans was ugly. Very ugly.

Without Stephen Curry , who will miss the next couple of games with a left quad contusion, the Dubs shot 2-of-22 from beyond the arc in the first half and only 25.5% from there for the whole game. They entered the fourth quarter leading by only a point and needed a late 12-0 run to put away a 3-17 team who had already fired their head coach.

However, for as ugly as the Curry-less Warriors' offense looked for most of the night, it wasn't because Jimmy Butler wasn't imposing his will on the game.

The 36-year-old finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists on 7-of-15 shooting, 10-of-14 from the free throw line, and a game-high +22 plus/minus. Butler took a scary fall in the first half , similar to the one he had in the playoffs against the Rockets that gave him a pelvic contusion, landing hard on his left arm and hip. But Butler gutted through the fall like it never happened and led Golden State to the much-needed win without Curry.

"I'm sure he'll be sore tomorrow, but yeah, I asked him what happened. I said, 'What hurts?' and he said, 'Everything.' And I said, 'Me too, I'm 60. So I'm supposed to be hurting.'" Kerr joked. "But he was incredible the way he took over the game."

Golden State turned to the star they traded for back in February this year, funnelling everything through him, especially in the fourth quarter. Whenever he drew two defenders, he found someone diving from the dunker's spot, usually Gary Payton II , who finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds. When the Dubs needed a basket, he willed himself to the free-throw line. It was a textbook Jimmy Butler -controlled game, the kind that Golden State will need to lean into moving forward.

How Butler's game changes to the Curry-less Warriors' needs

Turning to Butler with Curry set to miss at least a week as he recovers from his quad contusion is not rocket science to the Warriors. It's the obvious course for them– it's the whole reason why they traded for him last season.

But his performance against the Pelicans (yes, even against the lowly Pelicans), provided a somewhat of a blueprint for how the Warriors will try to use him. Not only to survive without an offensive force like Curry but also to collectively get the offense out of the funk that's plagued them the past few weeks.

After the game, Kerr talked about what the Warriors need from Butler with Curry sidelined right now.

"Jimmy doesn't necessarily want to shoot the ball," Kerr said. "He prefers just making the right basketball play. It reminds me so much of Andre Iguodala in that regard. He's very principled in his approach to basketball. He wants everybody to play the right way."

"But there are times, and tonight was one of them, where we need him to take over and to attack and to look to score. And he did that tonight. 14 free throw [attempts], 10 assists. We ran everything through him and he delivered."

Butler has had no issue deferring to Curry in his tenure with Golden State. He self-proclaimed himself as the "Robin" to Curry's "Batman," and when the two share the court, he has no problem letting Curry take the lead. But without Curry, the Dubs need him to take a few steps away from that mindset. He's the only player on the Dubs who can consistently create his own shot and create shots for others.

Kerr and the Dubs aren't asking him to become a 30 points-per-game scorer. They're looking for a balance of personal aggressiveness with his "principled," Iguodala-esque approach to basketball.

How the Dubs' offense changes with Butler in the driver's seat

Earlier this season, Kerr expressed how Butler allows the Warriors to play at a more deliberate and controlled pace. And while the Curry-less Warriors offense will certainly take on those traits, they will still emphasize motion. After the game, Draymond Green talked about having off-ball motion to make it easier for Butler to be more aggressive .

"We were trying to get him that way in the beginning," Draymond explained. "But he just kept telling us they're loading up. So we need to create some movements. [The defense is] just loaded [up on him] and once everybody else started moving around him, then it opened gaps and he was able to do what he did. We definitely, when Steph is not out there, definitely need him to do more of that."

Golden State specializes in running split-actions whenever they get the ball into the post. They are typically at their deadliest when Curry's involved but the formula for those off-ball actions changes without him. The Warriors can still run them but the more important off-ball movement they need to continue is to cut when Butler drives. It sounds counter-intuitive to cut where Butler's going but that's how Golden State punished the Pelicans.

Butler drew two or more defenders whenever he drove aggressively into the teeth of the defense. And whenever guys cut, whether it was GP2, Jonathan Kuminga , or Quinten Post , Butler rewarded them with easy looks. Better defenses will make it harder for Butler to break the paint but that is the crux of the Warriors offense moving forward. It opens up not only for guys slashing but also shots along the perimeter.

"The best 3-point shots are when you do touch the paint and then you're kicking it out," Green said, emphasizing his college coach Tom Izzo's teachings. "Second half, we moved the ball a lot and then attacked. And we were able to get to the paint and break their defense down a little bit more."

Butler and Golden State moving forward

Butler will have two days to nurse his body after his scary fall. After the game, he joked that he has "a lot of cushioning back there," before laughing that the thing he hurt was "straight a**."

Golden State will also get an update on Al Horford , who has missed the last three games nursing a sciatica nerve injury. And while Kuminga returned after a 7-game absence due to a knee tendentitis, they'll need Horford back in the fold with the Oklahoma City Thunder coming to town. Tuesday's rematch marks the final game of a five game homestand.

Additionally, De'Anthony Melton looks on track to return very soon after rehabing from ACL surgery. He should add some much needed two-way perimeter depth, especially on the defensive end. Golden State has a bit of an injury bug currently. All while trying to stay afloat at 11-10 on the season in a crowded Western Conference.

But if they Butler and company can hold down the fort, they'll get Curry, Horford, and Melton back right as the schedule finally turns in their favor.

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