By now, it’s official: Jimmy Butler is the Warriors’ adult in the room. But after Game 3’s heartbreaker, he’s more like the only adult in a daycare full of sugar-rushed toddlers with broken jump shots.
Let’s be honest—Jimmy Butler put on a show for about three and a half quarters against the Timberwolves on Saturday. He dropped 33 points, snagged 7 rebounds, and dished 7 assists, playing like the lovechild of peak Kobe and a military drill sergeant. With Stephen Curry watching from the bench nursing a hamstring, Jimmy took the wheel, floored the gas pedal, and nearly drove the Warriors to a huge Game 3 win.
But then the offense, like Moses Moody’s minutes, disappeared into the Bermuda Triangle. Jimmy scored just 7 points in the final 8 minutes, and only 3 of them came before garbage time. It was like the clutch switch got stuck halfway. He even acknowledged it afterward, saying: “I don’t care how many shots I shoot. I don’t care how many points I score. If it’s not toward winning, none of that ever matters. Twenty-six shots, 36 shots — next time it has to be in a win.”
Dude really treats a box score like it’s a participation ribbon. Love that.
But while Jimmy was out there carrying the team like Atlas with a pulled back, Steve Kerr was busy developing an ulcer thanks to the Warriors’ supporting cast. Or should we say non-supporting cast?
Mar 17, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III (10) as a time out is called against the Denver Nuggets during the second quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images
Let’s take a second to talk about the so-called stars not named Jimmy or Kuminga. Brandin Podziemski: Went 1-for-10 from the field. That’s a whopping 10% shooting clip. That’s not just bad—that’s “don’t let him shoot at your cousin’s birthday party” bad. Buddy Hield: 14 points isn’t terrible… but most of those were in the second quarter. He shot 0-for-3 to start and looked like he was auditioning for a role as a scarecrow—just standing in the corner, watching.
Moses Moody: Played 3 minutes. That’s not a typo. Kerr must’ve mistaken him for the team’s social media intern. Quinten Post: On the court for 2 minutes, which is just enough time to heat up a Hot Pocket and also be equally productive. These guys didn’t just miss shots—they missed opportunities, rhythm, and probably the halftime speech too.
And this is exactly why Jimmy gave a very clear and cool-headed message to the locker room postgame: “I’m not gonna tell my guys to be desperate or is any more urgent than anything. You go out there and you play basketball and you hoop, and you leave all the noise up to myself, to Draymond, to Steph, and to the coaching staff. You go out there and you do exactly what you’re doing. You’re doing great. The guys know that.”
Honestly, the message felt like Jimmy reading a bedtime story to a locker room full of rookies and lost shooters.
Jimmy & Kuminga: The Only Two Who Showed Up
While the rest of the roster was filming a reboot of Lost, Jonathan Kuminga came off the bench and dropped a nasty 30-piece on the Wolves, hitting 11-of-18 shots and 3-of-4 from deep. The man was dunking on people, hitting threes, and even talking trash to Anthony Edwards, which, spoiler alert, backfired hilariously.
Edwards responded to Kuminga’s jawing with a flamethrower second half: 15 points in the 3rd, 13 more in the 4th, finishing with 36 points on the night. Apparently, Kuminga poked the bear and then got mauled.
Edwards later said it wasn’t a poster dunk from Julius Randle or some coaching speech that fired him up—it was Kuminga’s dunk on him. Talk about “here lies the motivation that ruined our game.”
To be fair, Randle wasn’t too shabby either—24-12-10 for a smooth triple-double. And let’s not forget Mike Conley, who did just enough old-man things to keep the Wolves offense flowing. But the Wolves didn’t just win—they took Golden State’s hope, made a smoothie out of it, and drank it at halfcourt.
With Stephen Curry out until at least Game 6, the Warriors are stuck in this awkward reality where they have to win without their supernova. Without him, their offense looks like it’s being run on Windows 98.
Golden State actually shot 43.5% from deep, but that’s incredibly misleading. It was basically Kuminga and Hield, while everyone else was throwing up bricks that would make a Minecraft architect blush.
Apr 9, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) dribbles upcourt against the San Antonio Spurs in the second period at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images
The good news? Jimmy’s still here. He’s not panicking, he’s not pointing fingers. He’s doing what leaders do—hooping, motivating, and somehow staying calm while the team collapses like a Jenga tower in an earthquake.
The bad news? Unless some of these “stars” turn into actual stars, Steve Kerr might have to sub himself in next game. And if the Warriors are counting on Quinten Post for a Game 4 turnaround… well, it might be time to fire up the fishing boat. Game 4. Monday. 10 PM ET. Chase Center. Jimmy’s ready. Is anyone else?
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