Since he arrived, Golden State has won 16 of 20 games and has improved to a 41-30 record, which puts it in sixth place in the Western Conference. There is a chance it will move up in the standings, and some have even asserted that the team is now a championship contender.

But as instrumental as Butler has been to the team’s success, its main lynchpin, as has been the case for over a decade, is still Stephen Curry.

Curry has looked like his vintage self on the court once again with Butler by his side, and off the court, he has remained the class act he has always been. While Butler is willing to embrace his dark side, he praised Curry for being “a good human being.”

“He is the man. He is everything everybody says of him. More than anything, he’s just nice. He’s just genuinely a good human being. To everybody. It’s very, very, very refreshing. Because he doesn’t have to be that way.”

On the season, Curry is averaging 24.2 points a game while shooting 44.7% from the field and 39.4% from 3-point range, numbers that are below his career averages. But since Butler made his Warriors debut, the future Hall of Fame sharpshooter has put up 27.5 points per game and shot 48.1% overall and 40.7% from downtown.

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry enters the court before the game at Chase Center.

John Hefti-Imagn Images

Meanwhile, Butler, who agreed to a contract extension through the 2026-27 season once he was traded to the Warriors, is averaging 17.6 points, 6.5 assists and 6.1 rebounds a game with his new team.

If the Warriors aren’t true title contenders right now, they will almost certainly be just that next season once they have a full training camp with Butler and perhaps bring in a reinforcement or two.