Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry has been rejuvenated by the Jimmy Butler trade.
But Curry isn’t the biggest beneficiary of the trade, according to Golden State coach Steve Kerr.
It’s second-year guard Brandin Podziemski, who had just dropped 28 and 26 points, respectively in back-to-back big nights with the stakes never been higher at this time of the regular season.
“Brandon is probably the biggest beneficiary of the Jimmy trade,” Kerr told reporters after the Warriors beat the Denver Nuggets 118-104 on Friday. “They have a really good connection together. Jimmy makes everybody better but he’s especially making Brandon better.”
Jimmy Butler’s Impact on Brandin Podziemski
Before the Butler trade, Podziemski averaged 9.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 0.9 steals while shooting 42.2% from the field and 32.1% from the 3-point line in 39 games. Podziemski’s production jumped in the 20 games that he played with Butler since the trade.
Podziemski averaged 15.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.3 steals while shooting 46.7% from the field and 42.3% from the 3-point line.
“He’s just playing with the confidence that comes with a second-year starting, playing 30-plus minutes every night,” Kerr said of Podziemski. “The shots not always going to be there but it’s going to be consistent over time. The way he’s playing, the way he feels, he’s a big-time player.”
So how is Butler making Podziemski better?
“Because Jimmy makes the right play every single time,” Kerr explained. “He draws attention. He never turns it over. They have a great connection — little two-man game — and they find each other. The game really flows with those two out there.”
Podziemski has spent 500 minutes with Butler on the floor, which is only third behind Draymond Green (615 minutes with Butler) and Moses Moody (526 minutes with Butler).
And guess what?
The Podziemski-Butler two-man lineup trumped the Green and Moody combinations.
According to the NBA advanced stats, the Podziemski-Butler two-man lineup has generated a 16.3 net rating. The Green-Butler combo has an 11.5 net rating while the Butler-Moody two-man lineup generated a 7.9 net rating.
Warriors’ Five-Man Puzzle
Butler has found his joy in the Bay Area, instilling confidence in the Warriors’ young players and helping Curry and Green play meaningful basketball again.
“It’s always fun to win. Don’t get me wrong,” Butler told reporters. “But it’s always fun when BP is having a hell of a game. You expect it from Steph. QP (Quinten Post) can do it. JK (Jonathan Kuminga) does it. Moody doing it. Dray does it on both sides of the ball. So that’s the best part of this game — when you see one of your teammates doing something incredible and you get to smile you get to celebrate.”
The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
The starting lineup of Curry, Podziemski, Butler, Moody and Green are 14-0 while Post and Kuminga have embraced their roles in the second unit.
“I talk about it all the time,” Kerr said of the Warriors’ new death lineup. “It’s a puzzle. It’s a five-man puzzle and we’ve found a really good starting group. We found something that’s working and it’s clicking and the guys are playing with the resulting confidence.”
