For Steve Kerr, a big reason why the Warriors haven’t played up to their potential has to due with their inability to get Butler into a rhythm.

“I thought we did a better job last year putting in a position to attack and create shots for people,” Kerr said after the loss. “We need to get back to that type of control of the game where we’re going to him in the half court, especially when Steph’s out. Going to him in the half court, taking care of the ball, turning the other team over, and controlling the game. And we’re not there.”

On the season, Butler is averaging 19.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in 31.2 minutes across 23 games. That’s not far off from his averages last year, but as Kerr pointed out, they’ve been prone to long offense lulls in which Butler isn’t involved at all.

“We’re a little bit more in a random flow,” Kerr explained. “We need to be more particular with getting to some sets where we know we can get him the ball… In the Minnesota game, he went like four straight possessions without touching the ball when Steph was not on the floor.”

The consequence of not feeding Butler

What made Golden State so deadly last season was how they were able to balance the gravity and chaos Curry creates with the deliberate and calculated style of basketball Butler brings. It gave them a style to go to in the always precarious non-Curry minutes; the entire point of the Butler trade was to acquire a guy you could run an offense around without needing Curry.

But the consequence of not funneling the offense through Butler is that you get games like these against Portland. Pace, speed, transition opportunities, and a lot of scoring– things that don’t play well into the molecular makeup of the Warriors.

“It was just a track meet,” Kerr said, pointing to the symptom of Butler not being in a position to control the game. “That team is way more athletic than we are. And they’ve beaten us all three times because we have not been able to control them in penetration and turnovers and all that stuff. So we’ve got to find a way to get the game under control.”

The Blazers went a blistering 20-of-39 from beyond the 3-point line, a team that ranked 29th in the league in 3-point percentage entering the game. Part of that stems from the Warriors letting this game become a shootout, but the inability to stop Portland at the point of attack may have been a bigger factor. Like in the other two games, the Blazers got most of their threes by breaking the paint and kicking it out to open shooters.

“There were a couple of breakdowns on the ball with switches, letting them walk into threes,” Curry said post-game. “And then there were breakdowns [with] drives, swing to corner; you’re leaving capable shooters open.”

How Curry views getting Butler involved

For Curry, getting Butler more involved is the least of their worries given his caliber.

“It’s not just the Jimmy thing,” Curry said. “He’s such a unique player because he can dominate a game even if it doesn’t show in the statsheet. He’s going to find ways to get everyone else involved; we just got to be organized around him. But tonight, I don’t think it was him offensively at all; it was us collectively, defensively. You score 130+, you should win. Too many breakdowns on that front.”

Teams with size, speed, and athleticism like Portland have been Golden State’s kryptonite this season. That tends to be the case with guard-heavy older teams like the Warriors.

But whether it’s Butler’s offense or the POA defense, ultimately, what the Warriors are searching for is consistency. They’ve used nine unique starting lineups in their last nine games. Part of that is due to injury and load management; Curry missed five games in that stretch, and Butler, Draymond Green, and Al Horford have been in and out of the lineup. However, to go anywhere this season, the Warriors need to find an identity.

The lack of an identity, the lack of a signature lineup to turn to, is hard to overcome. And the Warriors know it.

“Whether [the unique starting lineups are] forced or not, for us to find a rhythm, I don’t know how many teams are successful throughout 82 [games] when that is a part of their identity,” Curry said.

“I’m hoping we can correct that. Have a sustained run of games where you know who’s out there, you know what the rotations are, and guys get comfortable. Cause that doesn’t only help offensively, it does help defensively too.”

Stephen Curry covers Golden State’s breakdowns against Portland, organizing around Butler and the value in establishing continuity.

“I’m hoping we can … have sustained run of games where you know who’s out there and you what the rotations are and guys get comfortable.”

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