Averaged 10.5 points and 3 rebounds per game, with an annual salary of 54.1 million! Butler’s potential injuries may affect Curry

The NBA preseason has quietly come to an end. The fierce competition for half a month is just a way for some wealthy teams that aspire to win the championship to warm up their opponents and find their game status. Typical examples are the Thunder and Nuggets, who basically didn't play much in the starting lineup. For the Clippers, Harden's regular season performance was relatively average, and he also stopped playing in the final game. After all, his age is there, so he can just play casually in the preseason. The overall pattern of the Western Conference in the new season is one super team with many strong teams. In addition to the above-mentioned teams, the Timberwolves and Rockets should not be underestimated. Especially the Rockets, which ranked first in the league in preseason offensive efficiency + scoring + free throw percentage. With Durant coming, the young man's self-confidence has improved. The three teams can defeat the Eastern Conference playoff team Hawks.

As time goes by, many legendary stars are getting older. Durant, who came to the Rockets, is destined to be a supporting role next to Amen + Shen Jing + Xiao Jia in the future, a top supporting role, because he still has to do the finishing work. James has been recuperating from injuries in the preseason, and he is optimistic that he will not return until mid-November. In the contract year, James has also looked away, and the Lakers have also looked away. It is just a tacit understanding of each other. As the last of the three legendary super giants, Curry must be the most tired of the three "old men" in the new season. The Warriors had 3 wins and 2 losses in the preseason, including two wins over the Trail Blazers, both of which were reversals. They defeated the Lakers in the first game of the preseason. The record was reasonable, but the team encountered too many problems. The first is injuries. Moody + Melton + Kuminga + Butler are injured in turn.

During the offseason, the Warriors management was successfully delayed by Kuminga for three months. Although several new players finally cooperated and waited to complete the signing, it is indeed a bit embarrassing for a team with a market value of tens of billions to be trapped by a young man. After the Warriors' lineup was determined, they had several shortcomings: insufficient height, insufficient confrontation, and the overall core age was too old. Naturally, there were also potential injuries. Starting with the scoring of the Warriors preseason players, Curry played 4 games, averaging 18.3 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists per game; the second scoring point turned out to be Moody, averaging 14.5 points per game; the third scoring point was the young Post, averaging 11 points per game; and the fourth scoring point was Butler, averaging 10.5 points, 3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Not to mention compared to a new offensive team like the Rockets, the Warriors' offense is indeed too shabby.

The most interesting thing is the "tacit understanding" between Cole and Butler. Butler's annual salary for the new season is US$54.13 million. After he came to the Warriors last season, the team went through a three-month honeymoon period. When Butler and Curry played at the same time, the Warriors' winning rate reached 70%. Needless to say, Butler's ball-handling and support organization are key. He can cause damage and keep the defensive fundamentals intact. When they played the Timberwolves in the semifinals, after Curry fell, Butler led the team to lose four games in a row. It was a stark reality that Butler could not drag the team to the end unreasonably like he did two years ago. He did try his best, but his average of 13.8 shots per game was far from meeting the requirements. Butler only played 2 games in the preseason, totaling 31 minutes, shooting 6 of 10. Is this number of shots enough?

is definitely not enough. When Butler later suffered an ankle sprain, Cole first said that Butler was expected to be able to play in the preseason finale against the Clippers, but then did not play against the Clippers. Cole also said that Butler was not expected to miss the regular season opener, and whether he could play was put aside for now. To give an inappropriate example: the Warriors' game is like a donkey's grind, Curry is the backbone, and Butler is like the carrot hanging in front. What was the deal for Butler? The preseason is indeed not important, so why did Cole let Curry play for 30 minutes in the final game when the Clippers played a mixed formation of two and three? Curry and Cole both wanted to win, but the key was to lose! Horford and Butler both have rest privileges, but Curry doesn’t?

To be precise, since leaving the Timberwolves, Butler has been plagued by injuries in the regular season for the past seven seasons. His average playing rate per season is only 68%, and he has not played in about 25 games a season. It's really easy to mess up in the East. No matter how bad the record is, if you start chasing after March, you can reach the playoff threshold. But what about the West? Judging from the predictions given by the US media "BR", the threshold for the top six in the Western Conference in the new season is about 50 wins, and the ticket for the play-offs is about 45 wins. What's more, Butler is getting older and has reached 36 years old. There are only two endings waiting for him: if he is overdrawn in the regular season and can maintain a certain record, he may not be able to survive in the playoffs; if the regular season fails, Curry may not be able to survive.

And it is certain that the high probability is the latter. Butler's market trading situation is not good. Butler's attribute value is also reflected in the playoffs. If he maintains an average of 13 shots per game in exchange for about 18 points, Curry will also lack help! Because the Warriors lineup naturally cannot protect the frame and cannot compete with the top teams in the West in the interior, the offensive end needs to fill in the holes! Don't forget that there is another Kuminga who has decided to go. The new season for the Warriors will be too difficult! If he continues to play at this pace, Butler will definitely get used to this mode, but Curry is really not far away from retirement. He will turn 38 next year. Who can consider his feelings? As long as Curry falls, the Warriors have nothing.

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