Some comments Jimmy Butler made following the Golden State Warriors‘ 126-102 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night raised concerns about the team’s current state. With the Warriors’ veteran core voicing their frustrations with the team’s performance after the game, Butler weighed in with some comments of his own.
“I think it’s partly correct. We’ve just got to get back to doing whatever it takes to win,” Butler stated. “Everybody’s going to have to sacrifice something. I can’t tell you what that sacrifice might be for every individual. It may be different for every individual every single night. It’s got to get back to winning, that’s the main thing and the only thing at this moment.”
A reporter then asked Butler what he thought the team’s collective problems were. The six-time All-Star responded, “The fight, honestly. I just think that the fight’s not always there. Even if we’re not making shots, it gives us an out to not guard, whatever the reason may be, but we’ve got to fight no matter what. Most of that fight that I’m talking about is on the defensive end. If we’re not getting stops, we’ve just got to play harder, just doing whatever it takes to win.”
Butler’s comment on the Warriors’ poor defensive effort is notably technical. When asked how the team would match up against longer and faster teams in upcoming games, the 36-year-old emphasized that the fight would be on the defensive end.
Although he continued to display faith in the team’s offensive output, his statement about the team’s lack of “fight” aligns with some of the comments made by Draymond Green and Stephen Curry.
Green’s comment about the change in the team’s approach toward winning, notably after Jimmy Butler’s arrival last season, could be a cause for concern. The statement he made about personal agendas may seem to be a pointed remark in this context.
While Curry’s statement still showed optimism in the Warriors’ ability to turn things around, there may be reason to suggest that tensions could be brewing in the locker room.
Jimmy Butler Pinpoints What Went Wrong Against OKC
The Golden State Warriors appeared to be out of their depth against the reigning champions. While several things went wrong for the team, including struggles from the floor, with the star pair of Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry combining for 23 points, Butler pinpointed the team’s biggest mistake.
“It’s not caring enough about every possession. We got lazy with the ball,” said Butler. “Some of them are good turnovers – overpassing the ball, looking for the open guy. Then some of them are just- can’t have ’em.”
Jimmy Butler acknowledged that players like Green and Curry, who handle the ball frequently, will inevitably have turnovers. But he added that players such as Jonathan Kuminga, Trayce Jackson-Davis, and even himself are also responsible for keeping the turnover rate down.
There appears to be some validity to Jimmy Butler’s statement. While he and Curry only had one turnover each for the game, Green had three, Kuminga had five, and Jackson-Davis had six. With a total of 20 turnovers for the game, the Warriors put themselves in a precarious spot against one of the best teams in the West.
With another loss in the books, the Dubs have fallen to 6-6 on the season. With a need to regain some momentum, the Warriors will look to overcome the San Antonio Spurs in their upcoming game on Wednesday, Nov. 12.
