"He Look Like He Got Belief" - The Jimmy Butler Trade Has Reinvigorated Steph Curry And That's Bad News For The Rest Of The West

Stacy Revere. Getty Images.

When the Jimmy Butler trade demand first hit our timelines, how many people at that moment thought that he'd ultimately end up in Golden State? I'm saying before any of the leaks about preferred destinations and where Jimmy would or would not play (aka, whoever was going to pay him), I'm not sure too many people saw Butler being the savior of the Warriors Dynasty and the help that Steph Curry so rightfully deserves. 

But that's the beauty of the NBA. Crazy shit happens every season.

Now that he's a Warrior and has been given his extension, we're all seeing what an engaged Jimmy Butler can do for a team. The honeymoon phase with Butler is always great, and given the things he excels at (paint scoring and getting to the FT line) just so happens to be the exact thing the Warriors have been lacking. Through two games, it's hard to have a better start than what Jimmy Butler has done as a new Warrior

As you can see, 28 FTA in two games is what I would call making an immediate impact in an area of need. In all the ways I'm sure the Warriors and their fans were hoping Jimmy Butler would help, it's exactly what he's done. This version of Butler, someone who is healthy and engaged and is actually taking things seriously is a very different player than Trade Demand Jimmy. That's what you have to remember when you think of how this whole thing might work. Butler won't become a problem until it's time to re-up his deal, so the Warriors have about 1.5 years of Locked In Jimmy. 

The impact of both trading for Butler and then things fitting seamlessly right from the jump, is greater than just the on the court product. According to Draymond Green, it has given Steph Curry new life

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Would you like to see with a reinvigorated Steph Curry looks like? A version of Steph that believes they now have what they need to make a postseason run to the point where his belief is back? 

This demon is back I'm afraid. Remember, the Warriors also get to add Jonathan Kuminga to the mix once he returns from injury, and even if you don't love him as a player it's still someone who brings another dynamic to how the Warriors can play on both ends of the floor. 

The larger point is if Butler fits like this, and demon Steph Curry is back, what does it mean for the rest of the West? 

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It tells me that a top 6 seed and out of the Play In is certainly on the table. I'm not sure there are enough games remaining to think GS can make up a 6 game difference in the loss column to HOU, so they may ultimately have an interesting decision to make towards the end of the season. 

I think however MEM/DEN/LAL end up is going to dictate a lot of what GS may try and do. My guess is in that situation, you want to do everything you can to avoid Nikola Jokic. Given how well the Nuggets are playing, it's not crazy to think they can catch the Grizzlies, and if that happens my guess is the Warriors will push like hell to get that 6th seed. Given how the Lakers look, they could very well get into that top 3 as well, which is another team I'd rather play if I were this version of GS. 

Looking at it from the other side, imagine you're OKC/DEN/LAL etc and this version of the Warriors is now your early matchup. I've personally experienced what Steph Curry can do in a playoff series, it's torture to live through. I've also experienced what Playoff Jimmy can do. Also torture. If they finish the season strong and enter the postseason with positive momentum, it changes the equation for how those series might go. Compare that to the version of the Warriors those teams could have been facing had GS not done this trade? That's a HUGE difference. That team was dead, they all knew it, Steph knew it, and now they've been brought back to life. A team that knows what it takes to win in the postseason and more importantly, how to do it.

If the Warriors come out of the break and continue to show that this level of play is sustainable, they immediately become a lurking figure in the shadows of the Western Conference. You always know they're somewhere down there climbing the standings, and then the next thing you know Steph Curry has made 7 3PM, Butler has taken 15 FTA and you're down 0-1 at home with homecourt advantage gone and all the pressure in the world on your shoulders in Game 2.

Chaos like that is what's now possible with a reinvigorated Steph Curry. Don't be surprised if that's what we get.