Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has admitted he has questioned himself over his usage of Jimmy Butler in the playoff series opener.
Amid expectations of a tough, gruelling series, the Golden State Warriors drew first blood on the road against the Houston Rockets.
The Warriors’ battle-tested experience came out on top in a low-scoring 95-85 win against a Rockets team making their long-awaited return to the post-season.
Jimmy Butler was playing his first playoff game for the Warriors following his mid-season trade from the Miami Heat, and put in a typical assertive performance.
Butler scored 25 points, second only to Stephen Curry’s 31, a valuable contribution, along with seven rebounds and six assists.
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is thrilled to have Jimmy Butler at his disposal, the player who turned the team’s season around.
And as he looks back on the game, Kerr admits he feared he might have made an error, with Butler playing 42 minutes in total.
Via Anthony Slater, Kerr worries about whether he has got his rotation right, and needs to re-assess, as ideally he would not want to play Butler for this long.
He explained: “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.
“And 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 like you are saying.”
Kerr has no qualms about Butler’s ability to play the extended minutes, but he knows that in a potentially long playoff series, with more rounds ahead, he has to be sensible.
“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, I think Jimmy fine.”
Steve Kerr’s comments can offer fresh hope for Jonathan Kuminga, who was a DNP for the third successive game.
Kerr has admitted he does not believe Jimmy Butler and Jonathan Kuminga can play together, commenting last week: “The Jimmy, JK combination has not been great and that’s the tricky part here. And I’m playing Jimmy 40 minutes a night.”
Butler’s 42 minutes against the Rockets in Game 1 meant there was no room for Kuminga.
However, Kerr’s comments that he ‘definitely’ needs to look at the rotations, can offer Kuminga some hope that he might be involved in upcoming games.
It would not be a surprise if Game 2 works out the same way for Kuminga, but as Game 3, and 4 come along, and the series potentially extends to a 5, 6, or even 7, the Warriors will have to gradually reduce Butler’s minutes per game.
Just because he can play 42 minutes, does not mean it is sensible, especially when there is a young, fresh and rested Kuminga on the bench, with a major point to prove.
