Jimmy Butler was listed as questionable before the Warriors’ game against the Suns tonight due to lower-back soreness. However, he decided to suit up and play limited minutes in the first half.
Subsequently, he was ruled out of the second half after his lower-back soreness worsened during the game. According to Anthony Slater, ESPN’s Warriors Insider, Butler had a heat pad around it whenever he was resting in the first half and was replaced with Moses Moody in the second half.
He played 14 minutes in the game where he had two points, four rebounds, and two assists, while shooting 1-of-5 from the field. Following the game, Steve Kerr gave an update on the Warriors veteran.
“There’s a reason he was questionable before the game. He felt like he could go, but he tweaked it a little bit, so we took him out. So he’s questionable for tomorrow,” confirmed Kerr after the game.
Warriors HC Gives Update On Al Horford
In the matchup against the Kings, the Warriors will have Al Horford returning from injury as well. Before tonight’s game against the Suns, Steve Kerr addressed the injury concerns around the veteran center.
“It’s always hard going to a new team. It’s always an adjustment. He’s trying to work through that adjustment, and we’re trying to figure out the best lineups for him. And we’re doing that while giving him back-to-backs off as we try to navigate this stretch of 15 games in 26 days,” said Kerr before the game on how the Warriors are making adjustments for Hordford.
“He hasn’t been able to find a rhythm, but we haven’t been able to offer him one either. It’s a long season, I’m not worried about him at all, but I’d like to get him more comfortable for sure,” Kerr concluded.
So far this season, Horford has averaged 5.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.2 assists while playing only 21 minutes per night in five of the seven games the Warriors have played so far this season. He is shooting 37.9% from the field and 29.4% from beyond the three-point line.
As a big man who was brought in to stretch the floor, such efficiency can be concerning for the Warriors in the long run. Therefore, while they navigate this rough stretch to begin the season, they also need to decide at what point his veteran experience is doing more harm than good on the floor for the Warriors.
