Tonight was supposed to be an easy homestand for the Golden State Warriors against the Phoenix Suns, but things didn’t go as expected for the Dubs. As the second quarter wound down, observers noticed that Jimmy Butler had not come back from the locker room after being taken out of the game. It was odd, and things only got worse as the match progressed.

As the second half started, fans quickly noticed that Butler was still sitting, and Moses Moody was playing in his place. The forward was seated on the bench with a heat pack on his back, and the team soon released an official statement. “Status alert: Jimmy Butler (back) won’t return Tuesday,” reported Underdog NBA.

The 36-year-old had entered tonight’s matchup on the injury report, listed ‘questionable’ with lower back soreness on the first night of a back-to-back. Now, his future is uncertain, and the team hasn’t provided any timeline for his return.

Before his exit, Butler had helped the Warriors get out to a hot start with his playmaking and defense in the first half as they entered the break leading 68-49, despite his own shot not falling. He finished the game with 2 points on 1-5 shooting, but logged 4 rebounds and 2 assists, along with a +17 in the plus/minus column.

Golden State‘s staff has monitored Butler’s workload since the start of the season and has been careful with their veteran core of Butler, Al Horford, Draymond Green, and Stephen Curry, given their advanced age.

This has been the biggest fear for the Warriors, whose most important players are all over the age of 35, and head coach Steve Kerr has previously identified exhaustion as an area of focus for the team, especially after their loss to a shorthanded Milwaukee Bucks squad earlier this season.

The coach had said back then, “It looked to me like fatigue, mental, physical fatigue… It did not look like our team out there, where our spacing was bad. It just didn’t feel like we had our usual pop.” The timing of this setback couldn’t be worse, especially as the Warriors are already trying to establish consistency.

For a player whose game is built on grit and contact, the warning signs are all there, and it might get serious.

Jimmy Butler And Other Injuries Pose A Test of Depth for Golden State

With Jimmy Butler now sidelined, two of the Warriors’ major offseason moves are unavailable for tonight’s game. Veteran center Al Horford was already absent tonight on the front end of a back-to-back, but his sitting is a part of the plan.

Going into this season, Horford had been placed on a minutes restriction and was forced to sit out back-to-back games in an effort to manage his health for the playoffs. Golden State is set to play 15 games in just 26 days this early section of the season, and they’re doing their best to preserve their core.

“It’s always hard going to a new team. It’s always an adjustment,” Kerr said before the game, referring to Horford’s efficiency struggles early this season.

“He’s trying to work through that adjustment, and we’re trying to figure out the best lineups for him. And we’re doing that while giving him back-to-backs off as we try to navigate this stretch.” It also served as a glimpse into how the Golden State is managing both physical recovery and chemistry on the fly, while trying to strike a balance.

Horford is set to return against the Sacramento Kings tomorrow, where he’s expected to face Domantas Sabonis in a more interior-dominant matchup compared to the more athletic centers the Suns employ, potentially causing Horford to be physically outmatched in the paint, where he does his damage.

Without Butler, however, Golden State’s margin for error will be thin, and this early season is now a test of endurance for a squad quickly showing its age.