With Jimmy Butler sitting on the sidelines for the first time since his debut, the Golden State Warriors had their five-game winning-streak snapped by the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday.
The 6x All-Star was ruled out of the game prior to tip-off with back spasms, leaving the Warriors without their second and third-leading scorers as Jonathan Kuminga continues to recover from a long-term ankle injury.
The Warriors already have a reliance on Jimmy Butler
Without Butler on the floor, Golden State crucially failed to orchestrate offense in the nearly seven and a half minutes Stephen Curry sat on the bench in the first-half. The Warriors were outscored by 14 in those minutes, which proved pivotal in a 12-point half-time deficit and eventual 126-119 loss.
Butler's ability to control the non-Curry minutes has arguably been the biggest factor in Golden State's recent success, with the franchise have gone 7-1 in games the 35-year-old has played since his blockbuster arrival.
Without Butler the Warriors asked more of second-year guard Brandin Podziemski to run the non-Curry minutes in the first-half. While the 22-year-old has been in excellent form playing off Curry and Butler in recent weeks, Podziemski isn't necessarily cut out for that role so shortly into his career.
It goes to show that Golden State have already developed a reliance on Butler, and fair enough too given they gave up Andrew Wiggins to get him and also handed out a two-year, $112 million extension in the process.
While relying on your $50+ million players is fully expected, it does also create a problem in the fact Butler's health is often a question mark. History suggests Saturday's absence will be the first of many throughout his Warrior career, with Butler having not played more than 65 games in a season since the 2016-17 season.
Golden State don't have the insurance to ensure they remain a good team with Butler out of the lineup. When he inevitably does miss games, they're unlikely to be good enough to cope for long stretches. There's no real answer on the roster to address it either, aside from Kuminga coming back and developing into the sort of star many envision.
They'll simply be a team that once again relies too heavily on Curry, with the 2x MVP going for 29 points and 13 assists against the 76ers. While this current injury concern shouldn't be too major, Saturday's game did provide an insight into the struggles the Warriors could face if Butler faces a lengthier stint on the sidelines.