Veteran forward Jimmy Butler was getting accustomed to life with the Golden State Warriors after being traded last year. During his first full season with the Warriors, he has proven to be a great asset to the team.
Butler had been a key offensive player for the Warriors, averaging 20.0 points, and 4.9 assists per game. With his impressive ability to drive to the basket and effortlessly score, he has been able to match Stephen Curry’s speed, agility and skillset creating a dynamic duo on the court, while lessening the offensive load Curry had to handle.
This came to a halt on Jan. 19 during a game against the Miami Heat. In the third quarter after playing for 21 minutes and scoring 17 points, Butler was unfortunately taken out of the game due to a bad landing that caused his right knee to rotate and buckle. After the game it was announced that Butler tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and will require surgery causing him to be out for the rest of the season.
While Butler has proven to be a great addition to the Warriors, Butler is not an essential player to the franchise. He has been out on injury before due to various other health issues, including back and glute pain, while on the Warriors. Despite this, the team was still able to win games. This time in Butler’s absence, the team will have to rely on Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody to step in and support Curry’s playmaking abilities in the same ways Butler does.
Trailing right behind Butler, Podziemski is the third leading scorer for Golden State averaging 12.1 points per game. He has been in the league for only three seasons during which he has been able to further develop his skills and has been considered a new and emerging “Splash Brother” in Golden State. Although with Butler out on injury, the Warriors cannot rely solely on Podziemski and will also need Moses Moody to continue to step it up offensively.
On Jan. 28, the Warriors defeated the Utah Jazz 140-124. In that game, Moody more than proved he is capable of playing in Butler’s place. His phenomenal flexibility of shooting three-pointers, going in for lay-ups, and offensive rebounding led him to put up 26 points being the second highest scorer on the night behind Curry.
Podeziemki and Moody will be able to easily account for the missing points Butler had provided. As for the assists and playmaking, veteran Draymond Green will have no problem making up for them as he is the current leader for the team averaging 5.3 per game, and has a long history of dominating the court both offensively and defensively.
With Podziemski, Moody and Green all stepping up while Jimmy Butler is out, the Warriors will be able to continue winning games and will stay within the play-in spots in the western conference.
