Warriors already have a concerning Jimmy Butler problem on eve of the season

Despite playing without Kawhi Leonard and James Harden, and with only a handful of their usual rotation available, the L.A. Clippers have gone into Chase Center and claimed a 106-103 win over the Golden State Warriors in the preseason finale on Friday night.

The Warriors themselves were without Jimmy Butler and Jonathan Kuminga, having subsequently struggled offensively throughout the three-point loss. Golden State's over-reliance on Butler is perhaps already a problem on the eve of the season, particularly when it comes to the team's turnover woes which were again incredibly evident without the 6x All-Star.

Warriors need Jimmy Butler available to avoid turnover issues

Golden State had nine turnovers within the first seven minutes of the game, finishing with 23 for the game that included some comically awful giveaways during the opening period. Turnovers have so often been a prominent issue for the Warriors over the last decade despite their success, yet became far less so after Butler's blockbuster trade acquisition in February.

Butler missed the final three games of the preseason due to an ankle injury, but is expected to be back for opening night against the Los Angeles Lakers. So too is Kuminga after the 23-year-old also missed Friday's game due to his own ankle injury sustained on the play before he got ejected at the end of the first-half on Tuesday.

The problem with being so dependant on Butler is the fact that history suggests the 36-year-old will miss significant time during the regular season, having not played more than 65 games since the 20-16-17 season when he was with the Chicago Bulls.

Unsurprisingly the Warriors were heavily reliant on Stephen Curry without Butler and Kuminga, with the 2x MVP going for 20 points, four rebounds and five assists on 4-of-8 shooting from 3-point range in his just under 30 minutes.

Buddy Hield added 11 points in his 23 minutes off the bench but shot just 3-of-9 from beyond the arc, while Al Horford had 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting in his little under 20 minutes.

After getting a second consecutive start with Butler out, rookie guard Will Richard was the only other Warrior in double figures thanks to a pair of fourth-quarter triples. The 56th overall pick had 13 points, four rebounds and three steals but shot just 5-of-14 from the floor, with serious intrigue on whether he'll earn rotation minutes for Steve Kerr on opening night.

Brandin Podziemski left the game early after a hard collision that left him with a hip contusion, only to return to the floor shortly after. The third-year guard had little impact, going for five points, two rebounds and an assist in his 20 minutes.

Not only is Butler neccessary for Golden State to avoid their turnover issues, but he and Kuminga are also their only major sources of free-throw attempts. The Clippers ended Friday's game with 10 more attempts at the charity stripe, which combined with the host's turnovers probably proved the difference in the result.