Jimmy Butler played a vital role in the Golden State Warriors beating the Houston Rockets in Game 1 of their first-round playoffs series. For the Warriors to keep the good times coming, they’ll need him for the rest of the series and then some.
However, they also need to be cautious with Butler since he is 35 years old with plenty of miles on his odometer.
The Latest on Jimmy Butler’s Status for Game 2
Talking with reporters before Game 2, Steve Kerr revealed that he thought he made a mistake playing Butler as long as he did.
“I thought where I made a mistake, honestly, we were rolling in that third quarter, and I kept Jimmy out there because we were rolling. I thought I played him too much in the second half. I definitely need to look at that, the rotations, and make sure that we are getting guys the rest, and make sure we are bringing in fresh bodies,” Kerr told reporters, per The Athletic’s Anthony Slater.
Kerr added that even with such a heavy minute workload, he believes Butler can handle it.
“I think Jimmy’s fine playing 40 to 42 minutes. Jimmy’s different. There’s a handful of guys in this league who can play 42 minutes and it not really affect them,” Kerr said.
Since then, there have been no indications that Butler won’t be available for Game 2 or that he’ll even have a minute restriction going forward.
Warriors Need To Manage Workload
The Warriors know that with their window closing, they’ll need to handle their best players with caution. That goes for Butler, Stephen Curry, and Draymond Green, all of who are in their mid-30s and have extensive playoffs experience.
Golden State has proven how good and cohesive they are overall as a team ever since they acquired Butler, which is why he is so important for their success in this run. If they lose him, they would likely revert back to the team they were before they acquired him at the trade deadline.
In a way, the Warriors are facing a team that is the complete opposite of them in the Rockets. Though Houston is the No. 2 seed in the West, they are filled with young talent with no real experience playing high-stakes basketball.
By contrast, the Warriors are one of the oldest teams in the playoffs and have plenty of playoffs experience. Because of that, they are perhaps the most favored No. 7 seed in NBA Playoff history. While they have the talent and experience to beat Houston, perhaps what’s most important is staying healthy.
If Golden State has all of their ingredients from start to finish, beating the Rockets in this series is doable, but if they don’t, that could be a problem.