Jimmy Butler ACL injury stalls Warriors' promising season

Cbssports reports Jimmy Butler tore his ACL, a development that has upended the Golden State Warriors' season.

Butler's injury came as Golden State was on its way to its 12th win in 16 games; coach Steve Kerr had said, "This is the most momentum we've had since we started out 4-1." The team is 25-19 and eighth in the Western Conference following a 135-112 win against the Miami Heat on Monday. Since Dec. 20 the 2025-26 Warriors had the No. 1 offense in the league, per Cleaning The Glass; Brandin Podziemski scored a season-high 24 against Miami, and De'Anthony Melton and Al Horford were providing needed second-unit contributions. Lineups featuring Butler without Stephen Curry were outscoring opponents by 8.8 points per 100 possessions, per CTG, and Butler's per-36 numbers were 23.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.6 assists with a 64.6% true shooting percentage.

Golden State can still try to make an upgrade between now and Feb. 5, the piece said, but any move would likely be aimed at being more competitive down the stretch rather than restoring a postseason puncher's chance. In theory the injury reopens a role for Jonathan Kuminga, who has not played in more than a month, though his inconsistency was noted and Kerr said, "I think he's the perfect guy for JK to emulate." The story concluded that everything the Warriors had been working toward appears out of reach and that the momentum they'd built has vanished.

Key Topics

Sports, Jimmy Butler, Golden State Warriors, Steve Kerr, Stephen Curry, Jonathan Kuminga