Will Richard did not play in the Golden State Warriors’ win over the L.A. Clippers on Wednesday night, but he still drew one of the night’s most memorable shoutouts.
Jimmy Butler, who has been on the bench over the last two games while rehabilitating from a torn ACL, singled out Richard after the Warriors rallied from a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to win 126-121. “Between Dray, Steph, Gui, Big Al, wow. Will Richard didn’t do anything but he was over there with me cheering his heart out. Wow. Go Dubs!” Butler said.
Richard’s omission from the rotation was not surprising or controversial. Steve Kerr had shortened the rotation for the game, and the move fit the kind of postseason tightening that happens when every possession matters. There had also been talk of minutes restrictions for many Golden State veterans, and Kerr was leaning on the experienced core in the face of potential elimination.
The decision landed against the backdrop of a team that has been stretched to its limit in recent months by a spate of injuries. Golden State has been to the mountaintop more than any other team in the last dozen years, but the path back there has left little room for extras. Richard, who appeared in 69 games in his rookie season, has already shown he can be part of that larger picture even on a night he never checked in.
That is what made Butler’s praise stand out. The Warriors did not need Richard’s minutes to beat the Clippers, but they did need the energy that carried through the bench and into a comeback that kept their season moving. In a postseason built on hard choices, that kind of presence can matter even when the box score shows nothing at all.