The Golden State Warriors played another uneven, frustrating game on Wednesday, and Jimmy Butler had no interest in sugarcoating anything afterward. Their 104 to 100 loss to the Houston Rockets brought them back to .500 at 10 and 10, and Butler delivered one of his bluntest evaluations of the team’s identity this season.
“We don’t box out, we don’t go with the scouting report. We let anybody do whatever they want, open shots, get into the paint, free throws. It’s just sad,” Butler said.
He then offered a single-word label for it: front-running.
When the team is hitting shots, Butler said, the energy is high. When shots stop falling, the problems snowball.
“A lot of our hustle is dictated upon our offense,” he said. “When we’re making shots, we’re celebrating, we’re cheering. When we’re not, we put our head down and we mope and we don’t box out, and we don’t get back. We foul. We do all the bad things.”
It was a stinging assessment, but one that matched what played out on the floor.
Warriors Exposed on the Glass in Loss to Rockets
Golden State’s effort issues showed up in the stat sheet. The Rockets shot only 39 for 99, but they grabbed 25 offensive rebounds and dominated the second half physically. Jabari Smith Jr., Reed Sheppard and the Houston frontline repeatedly crashed the boards untouched, creating extra possessions that kept the Warriors chasing.
Houston outscored Golden State by 16 points after halftime and controlled the tempo with size, energy and discipline.
For Butler, the numbers were symptoms. The deeper concern was mentality.
“We let anybody do whatever they want,” he said. “It’s sad.”
Warriors Searching for Identity as Criticism Mounts
Butler was not alone. Draymond Green has voiced similar frustration in recent losses, including calling out “individual agendas” after the blowout in Oklahoma City. After the latest defeat, Green again criticized the collective focus and emphasized that no one is exempt from the issues.
Both veterans have made it clear the Warriors cannot lean on nostalgia or names. The team’s 4 and 1 start has faded, and the on-court habits have not matched the standard expected from a group still built around stars.
Golden State’s problems have not come from shooting percentage or scheme tweaks. They have come from breakdowns in the fundamentals: box-outs, transition defense, physicality, and following the scouting report.
Those are effort decisions.
Butler Sends a Clear Message About What Must Change
At 10 and 10, the Warriors are no longer dealing with small-sample concerns. Twenty games into the year, trends become patterns, and patterns become identity. Butler’s comments reflect what the veterans inside the locker room already know.
When the Warriors run, cut, defend and communicate, they can still look like a contender. When they sulk, jog back and lose focus, they look like a team that beats itself.
Butler did not try to hide it. He did not spin it. He told the truth as he sees it.
The Warriors need a spark. More importantly, they need a standard.
And right now, as Butler put it, that standard is not close to where it should be.
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