Butler is the rare player whose journey has taken him from being a benchwarmer during his rookie season to becoming a team's primary option — a role that he flourished in with the Heat, where he averaged 21.0 points on 49.8 percent shooting, 6.0 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game.

View the Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers game played on October 21, 2025. Box score, stats, play-by-play timeline, highlights, odds & more

Jimmy Butler III shows he's got it in Game 1, Luka Dončić begins to take the baton and Jonathan Kuminga slots right in.

Paul Pierce says the Golden State Warriors' window has closed, claiming the league no longer fears them like it once did.

BOTTOM LINE: Denver faces Golden State in Western Conference action Thursday. Golden State finished 48-34 overall and 29-23 in Western Conference action a season ago. The Warriors averaged 19.7 points off of turnovers, 15.6 second-chance points and 43.6 bench points last season.

Despite his well-documented standoff with the Golden State Warriors over the summer, Jonathan Kuminga found himself in Steve Kerr's starting lineup against the Los Angeles Lakers. Kuminga repaid that faith by producing a high-level performance on both sides of the floor, even though he had the difficult task of trying to contain Luka Doncic.

Draymond Green reportedly told Golden State Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy not to green-light a trade for Lauri Markkanen.

While the Warriors have placed their trust in 22-year-old Brandin Podziemski and 23-year-old Jonathan Kuminga as their key young studs, the front office took a huge gamble by adding a 39-year-old Al Horford to the mix, who is at that stage of his career where players can become a shadow of themselvs in a blink of an eye.