Jimmy Butler addressed the biggest change for the Warriors' next few games without Steph Curry.
The news that Steph Curry will miss at least a week with a quad contusion that he suffered late in the loss against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday is tough, to say the least.
Curry has still been one of the top players in the NBA this season, ranking 12th in points per game, even after scoring just 14 against the Rockets. Without the engine of the offense, the Golden State Warriors may find themselves in some trouble over the next handful of games until the two-time MVP returns to the court.
Jimmy Butler Has Direct Evaluation Of Warriors Without Curry
In Jimmy Butler's postgame availability following the Rockets game, he addressed the biggest changes now that Curry won't be playing.
"We're going to have to be damn near perfect. We're not going to have the ultimate bailout on our team."
Butler also talked about how the team needs to improve when Curry does come back in order to make life easier for their point guard.
"Even when he is on the floor, we're going to have to do our job, because we make the game real difficult. As great of a basketball player as he is, he has a really hard job every single day if he's got to be the Batman of all Batman's and save us every night. That's not what he's here to do."
Butler will have to keep the Warriors afloat while Curry is out, then lead the charge to revamp and reenergize the team when the star guard returns.
Warriors' Struggles Without Curry
In the four games that Curry missed earlier this season — three due to illness and one for rest — the Warriors went just 1-3, with their only win coming in a relatively ugly victory against the injury-riddled Pacers.
They averaged just 107 points per game while shooting 41% from the field and 30% from three — all marks fell significantly below their season averages.
Extending the timeframe back to when the Warriors traded for Butler on February 5, 2025, the Dubs are 2-5 with Curry sitting out. The shooting percentages only marginally increase, while the points per game actually decrease by 2.
Without a doubt, there are going to be some offensive issues that plague the Warriors while Curry is out, unless Butler or one of the young players can step up to fill the void. One thing that may stay the same, though, is the defense.
The Warriors' defensive ratings with and without Curry, dating back to the Butler trade, are only separated by 0.7. If the offense is going to struggle, the only way the Warriors will be able to keep it close is to make their opponents' offense struggle, too.
The first test will come on Saturday evening as the New Orleans Pelicans come to Chase Center. It projects to be a solid test run against a bad Pelicans team that remains quite injured since the last time the two teams met a couple of weeks ago.