The serious threat of the Warriors to the NBA: Keep an eye on Jimmy Butler's level

The 2025/26 season of the NBA feels like one of the last opportunities, if not the last, for Stephen Curry to compete for another ring with the Golden State Warriors. The point guard will have by his side a great team including Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, Buddy Hield, and Al Horford, among others. All of them, very experienced, but with the feeling that competing is within their reach. Especially considering Butler's level in training.

In a gym in San Francisco filled with intensity, Jimmy Butler once again reminded everyone why his name is associated with the word competitor. The 36-year-old veteran forward dominated this past Friday's training session so much that, according to several witnesses, he set the tone for the day and the entire team.

“He had an incredible training session,” acknowledged coach Steve Kerr, with a mix of admiration and relief. “It was one of those days where you realize what it means to have a player with his experience and mentality on your roster”.

Even Stephen Curry, who shared the court with him—but not the team—couldn't help but joke: “He wasn't in my group, so I didn't like seeing him. But it was a reminder of the potential we have with someone like him, someone who knows how to win in any situation”.

Praise also came from Buddy Hield, who has engaged in verbal and physical duels with Butler since the beginning of training camp. “Jimmy dominated today's training. He was focused, professional, full of energy. It was one of those days where you understand why he has been at the top for so long,” said the shooting guard.

A message to the league... and to the Warriors

Praise abounds in every preseason, but Butler's was not just October rhetoric. His performance was so impressive that several team members saw it as an early statement of the kind of culture he wants to establish in Golden State: demanding, intense, and a standard of competitiveness that has defined his entire career.

The memory of his legendary training session with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2018—when he led the reserves to victory against the starting five after requesting a trade—remains part of his myth. But this time, there were no shouts or direct challenges. What there was, was a silent display of authority, a sort of message: here I can lead too.

After arriving in the midst of the playoffs last year, Butler is now experiencing his first full preseason with the Warriors, and it shows. He is no longer learning on the fly or adapting to a new system. Draymond Green, who acknowledged last year that “Jimmy didn't know a single word of the team's defensive vocabulary,” now sees him fully integrated into Kerr's system.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, La seria amenaza de los Warriors a la NBA: ojo al nivel de Jimmy Butler