Warriors' Kerr Says Jimmy Butler 'Was the Reason We Became a Good Team Last Year'

Steve Kerr feels Jimmy Butler is serving a key role for the Golden State Warriors that was once played by former franchise stalwarts like Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston.

"Huge," Kerr said Tuesday when asked about Butler's role in the Warriors' 119-109 season-opening win over Luka Dončić and the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night. "It was the reason we became a good team last year."

Kerr continued, "As soon as we got him, he provides that stability, the ability to get fouled, and go to the line, and settle the game down. He never turns the ball over. He just controls the game out there for us. And we need that.

"We've always been at our best when we can provide the support for Draymond and Steph's chaos with some stability. It's what Andre did, Sean Livingston. Because the chaos is really powerful, but it can also get away from us. Jimmy just settles us down."

Butler went 16-for-16 from the free-throw line and scored a team-high 31 points in the Warriors' 119-109 win.

The Warriors acquired Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat on Feb. 5. At the time, the team was 25-25 and sitting at No. 9 in the Western Conference.

Golden State went 23-9 the rest of the season, including a play-in win over the Memphis Grizzlies to clinch the No. 7 seed in the West.

The Warriors went on to defeat the Houston Rockets in seven games, becoming the seventh No. 7 seed in NBA history advance to the conference semifinals. The postseason run ended with four straight losses to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Kerr is now hoping to see his team make a deeper push in 2026 in part thanks to Butler, who shot 7-for-14 from the field in addition to his perfect mark from the foul line in Tuesday's win.

Curry meanwhile went 6-for-14 from the field and 3-for-9 from deep in a 23-point outing Butler said made things "easy" for him."

"Everybody pays attention to Steph," Butler said Tuesday night. "I've got the easy job."

Racing Curry, who went 8-for-8 from the foul line, for the best free-throw percentage in Golden State likely isn't the only role Kerr is looking for Butler to take on with his team this season.

Butler also seems to have stepped into a mentorship role for Jonathan Kuminga, who started and played 33 minutes during the Warriors' season opener after mostly coming off the bench last season.

"I just wanna help JK be great. He's got so much raw talent... I'm trying to teach him a little bit of what I see throughout the game," Butler said Tuesday night.

Helping Kuminga grow into a consistent starter would be another way in which Butler might be able to help the Warriors grow into a contender for a deeper playoff run this season.