The Golden State Warriors aren't going to be a great team early in the season. That's the reality for most teams playing without their second-best player, let alone one that could face other injury and health concerns with an older roster.
Steve Kerr knows his team have to try and hold the fort until Butler and Moses Moody return, with the Warriors likely to be without the wing duo for at least the first 30 games of the season.
Warriors to prioritize staying with the pack until Jimmy Butler returns
Golden State can't expect to be a top four or even top six team in the West without Butler. They need to make sure they're competitive though and at least around the .500 mark, giving themselves a potential runway to try and build some momentum before a hopeful playoff run.
“We’ve got to win some games early and stay with the pack,” Kerr told Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. “But I'm excited about it. We've added some good players with Yaxel, Georges Niang, and believe Brandon Williams can help us. Our young guys obviously had a great summer, winning Summer League and really putting in a lot of work," Kerr said.
Falling too far behind the pack would be problematic for the Warriors on a number of fronts. It would firstly place even more pressure on Butler to return and ramp up to somewhere near his best as soon as possible, something that also adds pressure on Rick Celebrini and the medical staff to help make that happen.
The Warriors might be too far back regardless. Even with Butler they may only be a Play-In Tournament team, and without him they could legitimately be a bottom five team in the West if Stephen Curry and others can't stay healthy.
Warriors need to convince front office to prioritize this season
Not only do Golden State need to make a good start to reduce the pressure on Butler, but they also need it to ensure the front office thinks it's worth prioritizing the remainder of the season. If the Warriors are mediocre and out of the playoff picture by the mid-season deadline, it's not hard to envision the front office being sellers and trying to further maximize what they could do in free agency next year.
At the very least, the front office isn't going to make short-term moves for a team they don't believe can make genuine noise. That would be an admission that it's another wasted season, with many already classifying this as a 'gap year' before it even gets underway.
Every team wants to prioritize making a strong start and getting out of the blocks quickly, but that seems even more pressing to the Warriors given their precarious position entering the season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google