After the Golden State Warriors lost to the Houston Rockets, Jimmy Butler had a lot to say about the team’s performance. Butler wanted everyone to care more, which garnered a response from teammate Brandin Podziemski.
Speaking at the postgame press conference, Podziemski was asked about Butler’s honest reaction to how they played on both ends of the floor. The veteran swingman wanted to see more effort moving forward, plus accountability, despite coach Steve Kerr putting the loss on him.
Podziemski understood what Butler was trying to say, but he thought that the entire team showed that they care. Everyone was just on edge because they lost their 10th game of the season.
“I mean, I think we all care. Obviously, it looks just a little bit worse because we lost and we’ve been losing. Yeah, no one is gonna bail us out of this kind of losing funk that we’re in. We just gotta dig deep. It may not look pretty, but that’s how you win,” Podziemski said, via KNBR.
In the Warriors’ 104-100 loss to the Kevin Durant-less Rockets, Golden State was out-rebounded, turned the ball over more and committed more fouls. To make matters worse, the Warriors also lost Steph Curry and Gary Payton II to injuries.
Draymond Green Shared Same Sentiment
While Jimmy Butler focused on the team’s effort and preparations, Draymond Green went off about their defense. Green was not happy with how the entire team seemingly lost their edge on that end of the floor. The numbers show that they are still a good defensive team, but the former DPOY was talking about their demeanor.
“”Our defense is s—. It’s not necessarily the numbers. How do you feel when you out there? It’s just letdown after letdown. It’s bigger than the numbers. Defense is about demeanor. If there’s letdown, it kills your demeanor, it kills your bravado. Then you’re just a soft team,” Green said, via ESPN’s Anthony Slater.
If Steph Curry misses time due to a right quad contusion, the Warriors could be in more trouble. Curry is set to undergo an MRI on Thursday, which will determine the severity of the injury, as reported by NBC Sports. He suffered the injury in the fourth quarter after taking multiple hits and tumbles.
Kerr’s Problem With Butler This Season
The Golden State Warriors were very good after they acquired Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat at last season’s trade deadline. They had one of the best records in the NBA after the All-Star break, but it seemed like they lost the spark in the first five weeks of the new season.
Coach Steve Kerr seemed to have found the problem, and it involves Butler. Kerr told 95.7 The Game that the second unit hasn’t been clicking with the six-time All-Star compared to last season.
“When we got Jimmy, we were really good in the non-Steph minutes and we have not been as good this season. We haven’t found our rhythm with the second unit around Jimmy. It’s one of the benefits of having Jimmy Butler, you can play through him at any time whether Steph’s on the floor or not. So, I know we’re better than what we’ve shown this part of the season,” Kerr said, via NBA Analysis.
If Curry misses time due to his recent injury, Butler will undoubtedly be the Warriors’ first option on offense. He’ll have to do more, but so does the rest of the team, especially Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody.
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