The Golden State Warriors, after starting out the season with a disappointing 10-10 record, are now set to be without their superstar Stephen Curry for at least a week as he heals up from a quad injury he suffered in their last game against the Houston Rockets.
In the meantime, Jimmy Butler will need to step up and take over the role of primary scorer, and, in reflecting upon Curry's absence, he gave the team a brutal reality check that is a rough reflection upon their play as of late:
"We're gonna have to be damn near perfect... We're not going to have the ultimate bail-out on our team."Jimmy Butler
While, in many ways, Butler simply stated the obvious, given Curry's enduring importance to the team, it also serves as a reflection upon the inconsistent performances of their role players. With Curry out, the Warriors will not be able to depend on his superhuman performances to bail them out of sub-par play from the team, and this next stretch will serve as a major test of their ability to remain viable with or without him.
The Warriors desperately need more from their players outside of Butler and Curry
As always, Curry has been magnificent this season. Through his first 16 games, he is averaging 27.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and four assists while shooting 39.1% from 3-point range. He has already had seven games where he scored 30 or more points, in three of which he has scored 40 or more.
Butler, meanwhile, has been the perfect complementary star for Curry. He is averaging 20 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists while shooting a remarkable 45.9% from beyond the arc, albeit on low volume.
The Warriors' problem, therefore, lies in the performance of their peripheral players. Brandin Podziemski and Buddy Hield have struggled mightily this season to remain consistent, and the ascendant play of players such as Moses Moody and Will Richard has not been enough to make up for this deficit.
If Golden State has any hopes at making a run at a championship this year, they cannot be wholly dependent upon Curry to help them climb out of holes they dig for themselves on a nightly basis. That was the case early last season, and it was the reason the organization pulled the trigger on the Butler trade.
Therefore, Butler's statement rings true in multiple ways. Not only will the team struggle without Curry, but, if they are not able to improve their play around him, they will continue to struggle when he returns as well.