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What Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy expects when Jimmy Butler returns from ACL injury originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Most Warriors fans wouldn’t be thrilled if you had told them before this past season that Golden State made the NBA play-in tournament, but missed the playoffs.
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However, if you told them that practically all of the team’s stars missed a chunk of the season due to injury, they might change their tune a tad. Steph Curry played in just 43 games, Kristaps Porziņģis logged just 15 appearances and Jimmy Butler was limited to 38 games after tearing his ACL.
When speaking with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Monte Pool and Bonta Hill, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. revealed that the team doesn’t yet have a clear timetable for Butler, but they still expect him to be a productive player.
“I do think when Jimmy returns, depending on his load that he can carry the amount of minutes, I do think he’ll be a very good player based on the way he plays,” Dunleavy said. “The two best things about him are his mind and his physicality, and you don’t lose that with a hurt knee.”
Despite aging typically being viewed as a negative in sports, Dunleavy, who enjoyed a prosperous 15-year NBA career, revealed that Butler’s age (36) already has helped him adapt to no longer being a top-tier athlete.
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“He’s adjusted well as he’s aged already on the athleticism front, and I think that’ll be no different,” Dunleavy told Poole and Hill. “It’s just, we got to get him back when we can.”
Before going down with the injury, Butler was averaging 20.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game.
Luckily for the Warriors, they were able to snag a couple of productive wings in this week’s 2026 NBA Draft, landing both Michigan All-American Yaxel Lendeborg and Florida State two-way wing Lajae Jones. With Butler and Moses Moody both having to miss time due to knee injuries, the rookies might have to grow up quickly.
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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/warriors-gm-mike-dunleavy-expects-205600458.html
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Publish date : 2026-06-26 20:56:00
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