Jimmy

Butler

Butler’s absence is a major blow to the Warriors, who are treading water in the competitive Western Conference standings. Golden State should have more minutes available for the likes of De’Anthony Melton, Brandin Podziemski and Quinten Post, though there is no clear-cut fantasy beneficiary to immediately identify.

With Jimmy Butler (knee) leaving early in the third quarter and Stephen Curry saddled with foul trouble early in the fourth, Podziemski stepped up to help lead the Warriors to the win. He finished with a season-high point total, with only a blocked shot missing from Podziemski’s stat line. Butler’s injury makes Podziemski a more critical option, even if he remains with the bench unit. He’s worth picking up even before Butler undergoes an MRI on Tuesday.

Butler injured his right knee early in the third quarter, as his leg buckled inward on a drive to the basket. He remained down on the court for several minutes before walking back to the locker room with the assistance of two teammates. More will be learned about the severity of Butler’s injury on Tuesday, but a prolonged absence could be a crushing blow to the Warriors’ postseason hopes.

Butler was a late scratch for Saturday’s win over the Hornets, with the veteran forward being ruled out minutes before tipoff. Will Richard moved into the starting lineup; the rookie will be headed back to the bench with Butler available to play.

Butler was announced as a starter, but when the game began, he was in the Warriors’ locker room. Unfortunately, the veteran forward will not play on Saturday for personal reasons. Will Richard was a late insertion into the starting lineup.

After a slow start to the game, Butler and the Warriors grabbed control during the second and third quarters to take the victory. The 32 points were the most in a game for him in nearly two months, and his fifth 30-point game of the season. Butler’s category league value remains high, but Thursday’s performance was a reminder of what he’s capable of when aggressively hunting his shots.

Sunday’s production was in line with what many fantasy managers hope to see from Butler consistently. The veteran forward finished with his first 30-point game since December 18 and fourth of the season. Over the past two weeks, Butler has offered third-round value in eight-cat formats, so he hasn’t been struggling. That said, the elite performances that he was able to produce when at his peak in the past have not been there consistently this season.

Having recorded back-to-back 20-point games for the first time since mid-December, Butler could not extend that run to three on Friday. While the rebounds and assists were solid, this is part of the issue for fantasy managers. While capable of doing a lot more, many nights feel as if he hasn’t done much more than what’s required. The fantasy ranking may be good, but one can’t blame managers for lamenting what they’re missing on most nights regarding Butler’s production.

Butler notched back-to-back 20-point games for the first time since mid-December, making use of the free-throw line to accomplish such. Thirteen of his points came in the second half to help the Warriors maintain their double-digit halftime lead, and Butler didn’t make any other noteworthy contributions in this game from a statistical standpoint. His scoring did the heavy lifting for his fantasy production.

Stephen Curry fouled out with less than a minute left, which meant that the game-winning shot responsibility fell to Butler. He came up short, but he still had a productive stat line in the loss. Butler has been a reliable option for the Warriors this year, and he has been available, which has been an issue for him in the past. As long as that doesn’t change, he’ll continue to be an excellent value at his Yahoo! ADP of 50.3.