Following the Warriors’ 116-126 loss to the Lakers, Steve Kerr reportedly said that Draymond Green would be benched in their next game against the Trail Blazers to rest the veteran. Three starters were expected to be back against the Trail Blazers on Tuesday night (October 14): Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Al Horford. However, according to the latest update on Monday evening, Jimmy Butler is now expected to be benched in the game as well.
The 36-year-old Warriors starter sprained his ankle last week and was expected to have recovered by now to return to practice. But unfortunately, his ankle remained a bit swollen, and as a precautionary measure, the medical staff decided to pull the plug on his return to play. He will be re-evaluated for return soon, as they hope to have him back for the final game of the preseason run on Friday (October 17).
Butler played in the Warriors’ last meeting with the Trail Blazers, where Golden State came out on top 129-123. He had 12 points with two rebounds and three assists, while shooting 50% from the field and making six free throws. In an average of 16 minutes played per game over the last two games, Butler has averaged 10.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. Considering it is only the preseason, it is not something Kerr and the coaching staff would be too worried about.
However, if Butler does not play against the Clippers on Friday, he will likely return for the opening night of the regular season, when the Warriors face the Lakers on October 21.
The silver lining of this update is only there for Jonathan Kuminga, who will likely replace Butler in the starting lineup. He should look to solidify his stance and use this as an opportunity to keep showing the Warriors staff how much value he brings to the court. Kuminga has had a roller coaster of a start to the preseason, but it is not something he should dwell on much.
In the first two games where he came off the bench, he averaged only 4.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists, while shooting only 37.5% from the field. Subsequently, when he started against the Lakers in the last game, he had 13 points with six rebounds and one steal, while shooting 62.5% from the field. Therefore, if being a starter really gives him the confidence that it seems to, then the next two games present a potential opportunity for Kuminga to capitalize on.
