As the Golden State Warriors prepare for a full season with star forward Jimmy Butler on their roster, many fans are excited to see how the chemistry among the team's veteran core can continue to develop.
Yet, as was pointed out by Tim Legler on the recent episode of the ALL NBA Podcast, Butler will likely miss significant time during the regular season due to either rest or injury. As a result, the Warriors must retain Kuminga in order to provide scoring insurance against the absence of Butler.
Therefore, while Butler will likely again be one of Golden State's most important players this season, Legler's comments serve as a reminder of the age of this team's core and the necessity of resting these players to prepare for a lengthy playoff run.
Jimmy Butler will miss time, and the Warriors need a solution
Last season, following the organization's acquisiton of Butler, the team turned face, going 23-8 to end the season and securing a play-in spot that ultimately led to a first-round victory against the Houston Rockets.
Yet, although Butler only missed one of those 31 games he was with the Warriors during the regular season, fans should expect Butler to miss a significant chunk of the team's matchups next season.
According to Tim Legler, "[Butler] is another guy that's going to miss time in the regular season. He doesn't really treat the regular season that importantly in the first place, and, beyond those two guys, what did they really do to really bolster their roster?".
While fans saw the pain Butler went through to push through his pelvis injury in the playoffs for the Warriors, Legler's argument is that, during the regular season, the team cannot depend on Butler to be available continuously, nor can they depend on him to take on the lead scoring role when Steph Curry is absent.
In Butler's five full seasons with the Heat, he missed a combined 109 regular season games due to rest or injury, and, in the upcoming season, fans of Golden State should expect that average to stay consistent given Butler's age and injury history.
Therefore, when Butler is absent the team will need a scoring boost to step into the starting lineup, and this could be found very easily in Kuminga.
Although the fit between Butler and Kuminga is questionable, leaving Kuminga with a likely bench role were he to return to the Warriors next season, Kuminga could step up in Butler's absence to provide dynamic offense.
In games in which Kuminga played 30 or more minutes last season, he averaged an astounding 26.5 points, cementing his viability as a primary scorer when given the opportunity.
Therefore, if Golden State is able to retain Kuminga, he could earn significant minutes as a result of Butler's propensity to miss regular season game