There was plenty of discussion surrounding how the Golden State Warriors defense would be impacted by the departure of Andrew Wiggins, having traded their best point-of-attack defender in the blockbuster deal for Jimmy Butler before the deadline.
Wiggins had held significant responsibility in a Warrior defense that ranked 10th prior to the trade, and while Butler has long been an excellent defender himself, there were concerns whether the 35-year-old could do it on a nightly basis at this point of his career.
The Warriors will look to strangle the Magic on Thursday
Butler may not have necessarily been tasked with the same on-ball defensive duties that Wiggins held, but his off-ball ability to get in passing lanes and execute timely double-teams has added a new weapon that's actually made Golden State's defense better.
The Warriors have ranked first in defensive rating across their seven games with Butler, and have also ranked first in steals per game which included recording 16 in Tuesday night's 128-92 blowout victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
Golden State will hope to continue their defensive excellence when they start a five-game road-trip against the Orlando Magic at Kia Center on Thursday. The Magic have ranked dead last in offensive rating over the last 30 games, providing the Warriors with an opportunity to strangle the hosts and build on their four-game winning-streak.
The visitors remain relatively healthy heading into the matchup, but will still be without fourth-year forward Jonathan Kuminga whose absence will extend to 25 games following a serious ankle sprain on January 4.
Trayce Jackson-Davis is also questionable for Golden State after missing Tuesday's win through illness, though the second-year center has been out of Steve Kerr's rotation over the past couple of weeks regardless.
Orlando remain without important starting guard Jalen Suggs who's played just one game since January 3, while backup point guard Cole Anthony is questionable due a hyperextended left knee.
The Warriors claimed a 104-99 victory over the Magic at Chase Center at the start of the month, having kept star forward Paolo Banchero to just 18 points on 9-of-24 shooting in the five-point win. Wiggins led Golden State in scoring on that night with 25, while Stephen Curry had an efficient 24 points on 7-of-21 shooting and 2-of-12 from 3-point range.
The Warriors will be hoping to edge back to within half a game of the sixth-seed L.A Clippers after they defeated the Chicago Bulls at United Center.