Stephen Curry defends Jimmy Butler, explains why he can’t be the scapegoat for Warriors’ loss

The Golden State Warriors still haven’t recovered from their downward spiral.

They have now dropped two games in a row following a 136-131 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Currently, the Golden State Warriors are hovering around the .500 mark with a 13-14 record, performing well below expectations for a team considered title contenders when the season began.

Ironically, this bad trend has occurred immediately following the return of Stephen Curry. The superstar guard has been nothing short of spectacular, scoring 39 and 48 points in his first two games back from injury.

Stephen Curry defends Jimmy Butler following flat performance during Warriors loss

Yet, apparently, Curry‘s amazing numbers alone are not enough to lift the Warriors to victory. The losses have created a new scapegoat: Curry’s co-star, Jimmy Butler.

In those last two contests, Butler failed to crack the 20-point mark, posting just 15 and 16 points, respectively. For many, that offensive output wasn’t enough to support Curry’s heavy lifting.

However, Curry was quick to defend his teammate, insisting the losses were not solely on the veteran forward‘s shoulders.

“It‘s not just a Jimmy thing. I mean, there‘s going to be nights where he‘s a go-to scorer. There‘s going to be nights where he’s a facilitator. There‘s going to be nights where, for certain stretches, he‘s one or the other,“ Curry said.

“He‘s such a unique player because he can still dominate a game even if it doesn‘t show up on the stat sheet. So, we just have to be organized around him.“

Draymond Green believes on Jimmy Butler, but urges more offensive responsibilities

Despite Curry’s defense, the expectation remains that Butler must deliver a ‘Robin‘ performance to Curry’s ‘Batman‘.

Draymond Green also weighed in, expressing his belief that Butler needs to take more responsibility within the Warriors’ offense.

“I also need Jimmy to be more aggressive and demonstrative and go take the ball, or come get the ball, or say exactly where he wants the ball. And he will. He doesn‘t shy away from that,“ Green said.

Butler is currently averaging 19.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game. While his scoring and rebounding numbers are technically up compared to his stats last season with Golden State, it hasn’t translated to wins.

If the Warriors want to turn this season around, Butler may need to replicate his tenure with the Miami Heat, where he consistently delivered 20+ points per night.