Where did Jimmy go in the playoffs? Curry is injured and the Warriors need help in urgent need of help, but Butler seems to have disappeared

Translator's note: The original text was published in BleacherReport. The data in the text were as of the time of publication (May 13 local time), and the date involved has been converted. The views in the article have nothing to do with the translator and the platform.

The Golden State Warriors are on the verge of being eliminated after losing 110-117 on Tuesday.

And just after the Warriors' honeymoon period with new forward Jimmy Butler was only a few weeks longer, Warriors fans were wondering where Jimmy went in the playoffs.

In the third game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Butler scored 33 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists in a five-point defeat. But in Game 4, Butler only made 9 shots and scored 14 points.

And after that game, the worst plus-minus value of -30, Butler now has a plus-minus value of -20 in this series and a plus-minus value of -36 in the entire playoffs.

Stephen Curry was absent due to a hamstring strain, which is obviously the main reason why the Warriors lag behind the Timberwolves 1-3, but Butler failed to improve his performance, especially in terms of scoring, which is also one of the reasons. One of the motivations for the initial introduction of Butler was definitely to make the team survive the time Curry was missing. And during Butler's brief regular season with the Warriors, he exceeded his mission in this regard.

In the last 1,000 rounds before the playoffs, the Warriors had a net efficiency of +12.8 when Butler was on the court and Curry was not on the court. During those times Curry was out, Butler scored 24.9 points and 7.6 assists per 75 games, with a real shooting percentage of up to 63.7%.

For those Warriors who were previously unable to score when Curry was not present and could not attract defensive attention, Butler's organizational ability made them much easier offensively. Butler was able to score an astonishing 11.9 free throws every 75 rounds, providing the team with an efficient way to score. Butler's breakthrough forced the opponent to shrink into the penalty area, creating additional space for the outside shooter.

And Butler's defense, especially when he was working with Draymond Green, built a suffocating defense system for the Warriors, limiting his opponent's score per 100 possessions to 97.2 points.

But most of these disappeared in the playoffs this season, precisely when the Warriors needed Butler to contribute the most.

Apart from the third game, Butler, as the scorer, often appears passive when facing the Timberwolves. Peripheral defenders like Jaden McDaniels and Anthony Edwards, as well as the overall strong defensive system supported by Rudy Gobert, have all made Butler choose to end with a jump shot in some offenses that break into the penalty area.

And in a broader sense, Butler simply cannot impose his will on these games as we have seen in the past.

In the 2023 Miami Heat's journey to the Finals, Butler averaged 26.9 points and 5.9 assists per game, with a BPM of 6.6. The previous year, Butler averaged 27.4 points, 4.6 assists and 2.1 steals per game, with a BPM value of 11.8. In the 2020 Finals, Butler averaged 26.2 points, 9.8 assists, 8.3 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game.

At that time, Butler led three Heats, who were relatively inferior, to go farther in the playoffs than anyone expected. But after Curry was injured, Butler has not contributed that performance at all.

After 14 points on Tuesday's game, Butler averaged 19.4 points per game this season, shooting 45.4% from the field and 33.3% from three-pointers. Among the Warriors, there are only three players with lower positive and negative values ​​than Butler during the playoffs: Jonathan Cumingga, Moses Moody and Gary Payton II.

Butler's own injury - Butler suffered a pelvic contusion in his second game against the Houston Rockets - may be partially responsible, but he played for more than 40 minutes in two of his four games against the Timberwolves. The Warriors' smooth, egalitarian offensive system may be a factor, but Butler was willing and able to break similar rules and regulations when he was with the Heat.

Perhaps Butler has just passed the "playoff Jimmy". Butler will turn 36 in September. Every NBA player, even the top star, will always start to decline at some point. We may be seeing this in Butler.

And while the team sometimes seemed short of staff during Butler's Heat, the team had the support lineup of Taylor Hiro and Bam Adebayo, which may be more dynamic than the lineup led by Draymond, Buddy Hild and Brandin Pojemsky.

Let the older Butler lead a team with slightly inferior strength, which may be too high.

But the Warriors do have to make this demand for Butler. To win the life-and-death fifth game at home, Butler will have to turn back time.

Butler must be aggressive from the start, as a scorer, and he must keep that aggressive until the final whistle sounds. This means constantly rushing the rim, getting free throw opportunities, and giving assists with willpower instead of simply transferring the ball and running away to cover.

In other words, in order to be able to hold on until Curry (probably) returns in Game 6 – he is reportedly likely to make a comeback, the Warriors must have a "playoff Jimmy."