Can ‘Playoff Jimmy’ Butler fill the Steph Curry void for Warriors?

“No question, we have to look at different ways to attack tomorrow,” Kerr said. “There’s a lot of different options. Lineup combinations (are) really important, who we put out on the floor. We’ve got to sort through everything.” 

To effectively run offense through Butler, spacing is key. Kerr and the Warriors constantly preach about it. 

Here’s an example from Game 1 of poor spacing. The lineup is Butler, Podziemski, Kuminga, Buddy Hield and Kevon Looney. That group is light on outside shooting, and the Kuminga-Butler tandem has been clunky. 

Kuminga drives against Julius Randle from the wing into the paint, but doesn’t have an outlet when he gets cut off because both Looney and Butler are occupying the dunker spot. To make matters worse, Hield is cutting through the lane, meaning Podziemski is the only Warrior along the perimeter. The Warriors need to be both more intentional with who they attack and how to organize themselves when they do. Butler and Kuminga like to operate in similar spots on the floor, which complicates matters.