The Golden State Warriors’ 127-145 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday, January 20, came after one of the team’s stars, Jimmy Butler, suffered an injury.
The 36-year-old forward tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee against the Miami Heat and will miss the rest of the season. Despite this, the Warriors coach is confident his team can overcome Butler’s absence.
Kerr remains hopeful
Jimmy had to be assisted by Buddy Hield and Gary Payton II as he left the game against his former team after falling awkwardly on his right knee at 7:41 of the third quarter.
His pain was evident, and later the severity of his injury was revealed, ending his season with averages of 20.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.9 assists on 52% shooting from the field in 37 games.
Meanwhile, this blow comes at a bad time: the franchise is 8th in the Western Conference and decisive months are approaching in the attempt to reach the playoffs. However, head coach Steve Kerr has confidence in his players:
“I think we’re well equipped with our depth to continue to play at a high level,” Kerr told the Warriors media.
In addition, the coach assured that the big difference in the team compared to last year lies in De’Anthony Melton, Al Horford, Will Richard, and Quinten Post: “At this stage last year, before we traded for Jimmy, it didn’t feel like we had enough to really compete. I think we have enough to compete,” he said.
Other players who could contribute to the team are Buddy Hield and Brandin Podziemski. In fact, against the Raptors, it was Hield who stood out as the team’s top scorer with 25 points. Although he hasn’t played much lately with the Warriors, Jonathan Kuminga was put to the test by Kerr last night and could contribute to the Warriors. However, the player did not waste the opportunity, adding 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists in 21 minutes. Steph Curry added another 16 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal.
Despite the confidence Kerr showed in his roster, he is aware and knows that Butler’s absence will be felt:
“Obviously, we’re going to miss Jimmy, and he’s one of the best players in the league. So, you can’t minimize that or trivialize it. But you play with who you have, and I like who we have,” said Steve.
Meanwhile, as the team adjusts to Butler’s absence, the Warriors will travel to the American Airlines Center to face the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, January 22, and try to recover from their loss to the Raptors.
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