Stephen Curry’s quad injury is another nail in the coffin of the Warriors’ spiral into mediocrity. The same pattern of losing to teams they should have beaten continued last Wednesday night when they fell short to the Kevin Durant-less Houston Rockets.
The crushing defeat is just another addition to the list of games that should have been easy dubs.
For the first month of the season, the Warriors’ struggles have been justified by their grueling schedule, which included one back-to-back game per week. Their saving grace is that the schedule is lightening up. Back-to-back games will be much more infrequent, and reinforcements are coming to help.
But even considering those factors, the Warriors are fighting to hover around .500.
Though it may only be December, the Warriors face an uphill climb to reach the top of the Western Conference.
Strength In Numbers
Most of what could go wrong for the Warriors has: their superstar is injured, and the supporting cast is struggling mightily.
Jimmy Butler has taken on the role of the primary leader and scorer in Curry’s absence, but he needs help from the others to string together some wins.
While Butler has maintained an overall efficient stretch of basketball throughout November, he alone won’t pull the Warriors out of the dark hole they’ve fallen into.
Steve Kerr’s insistence on a motion-heavy offense even in the absence of the player around whom that system revolves is their biggest detriment.
Thankfully, what makes Butler so valuable isn’t just his ability to fit into the Warriors’ ball-movement style, but also his ability to go one-on-one in isolation.
Taking advantage of mismatches and leveraging double teams that swarm him opens up the floor for others.
The problem for the Warriors? The team either becomes stagnant after Butler’s first pass to create action, or the possession ends in a poor shot.
Jimmy Butler Can’t Do It Alone
Not every action must result in a three or a jumpshot. Making Jimmy Butler the Warriors’ focal point doesn’t mean that ball movement needs to stop entirely.
Capitalizing on Butler’s skills often allows for easy cuts to the basket. The plays below perfectly illustrate the best utilization of Butler’s gravity through his patience and decision-making.
https://twitter.com/JoeVirayNBA/status/1995493470010478879
Running the offense through Jimmy Butler works, but only if those around him can make — or are at least confident enough to take — the shot. When players like Brandin Podziemski and Buddy Hield can shoot close to their career averages, a new world is unlocked.
At some point, the law of averages catches up, and the numbers will likely regress to the mean. Still, the current shooting slumps of the supporting cast nullify Butler’s best assets. The 36-year-old flourishes best when surrounded by shooting and offensive threats.
Part of what helped him thrive in Miami was having shooters like Max Strus, Caleb Martin, and Duncan Robinson.
One key concern about Butler shouldering a heavier load without his Batman is the uptick in minutes he is playing.
Other than the few blowouts the Warriors have been a part of, Butler has played at least 34 minutes nearly every game. He also leads the team in minutes averaged and total minutes played.
When Kerr can’t stagger his minutes with Curry’s, the durations that Butler sits feel even more daunting. Kerr has even had to curtail Butler’s rest on the bench because of how lost the team is without him.
To make matters worse, the star forward took a painful fall during Saturday’s game against the Pelicans. Though he maintains optimism about his availability going forward, the Warriors simply can’t afford to have any more punches thrown their way.
Panic Time for the Warriors
The Dubs continue to slide further and further down the offensive rating rankings each week. Without their best scorer, the challenges offensively are even more glaring.
Eight of their 13 games in December come on the road, with most of them against teams at .500 or better.
The good news is that Seth Curry and De’Anthony Melton are expected to join the squad soon. Adding more shooting and two-way play will accentuate Butler’s best qualities — even if Curry isn’t back by then.
To prove they can hang with the juggernauts of the league, they will need to climb out of the hole of mediocrity. The Warriors could find themselves in another tumble if they free-fall without Curry. The Warriors may not need “Playoff Jimmy” in order to stay afloat, but if he can remain efficient while receiving some help, that may be just enough.
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