The Golden State Warriors (10-10) have been officially eliminated from the NBA Cup after falling 104-100 to the Houston Rockets (12-4) at the Chase Center. Amid this tough scenario for the Bay Area franchise, Jimmy Butler sent a strong, pointed message to his teammates.
Following the defeat, Butler pointed to the team’s lack of commitment as a primary cause, delivering a strong critique of the collective effort and the failure to execute the scouting report. “We don’t box out, we don’t go with the scouting report, and we let anybody do whatever they want. Open shots, get into the paint, free throws. It’s just sad,” Butler told reporters after the game.
Butler finished the contest as the Warriors’ top scorer with 21 points, along with five rebounds and five assists, while Stephen Curry finished with 14 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Despite having six players score in double digits, the Warriors could not contain Reed Sheppard, who recorded a career-high 31 points along with nine rebounds and five assists.
The Warriors are now at the .500 mark with a 10-10 record and face a difficult road ahead, as they will be without Curry, who is expected to miss at least a week or more with a quad contusion, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Amid this challenge, Butler directly addressed how the team must approach the upcoming games without their superstar. “I think we’re going to have to be damn near perfect. We ain’t going to have the ultimate bailout on our team, but even when he is on the floor, we need to do our job. As great a basketball player as he is, he has a really hard job. He has to be the Batman of all Batmans and save us every night? That ain’t what he’s here to do,” Butler added.
Draymond Green calls out Warriors’ defense
The Warriors’ defensive effort has been heavily scrutinized recently, appearing disjointed on the court. Former DPOY Draymond Green did not hesitate to join the criticism of Golden State’s defense.
“Our defense is s–. It’s not necessarily the numbers,” Green told reporters after the game. “How do you feel when you’re out there? … It’s bigger than numbers… The defense is about demeanor. So if it’s letdown after letdown and it kills your demeanor, it kills your bravado, then you’re just a soft team”.
The Warriors are currently the fourth-worst team in the league in committed turnovers, averaging 15.9 per game, exposing a major weak spot in Steve Kerr’s team. Their rebounding numbers are also poor, ranking 21st with an average of 42.9 per game. These two critical defensive metrics are failing at Golden State, and Kerr must find a way to rearrange things to turn the page on their current struggles.