Jimmy Butler's brutal injury update could spell end of Heat star's season (2024)

Jimmy Butler put up an admirable effort to play through injury in what ended up being a 105-104 loss for the Miami Heatin their tussle against the Philadelphia 76ers in the 7/8 play-in tournament matchup. Butler grimaced and held his right knee immediately after falling to the ground following a Kelly Oubre Jr. foul in the first quarter, but he carried on and played 40 minutes, finishing with 19 points, five rebounds, and four assists.

Now, Shams Charania of The Athletic has reported that Butler's injury may be more serious than initially thought. According to Charania, Butler is “feared to have an MCL injury in his knee” and that the “injury could sideline Butler for an indefinite period.” Nonetheless, the Heat star is yet to undergo an MRI, so nothing is official regarding his injury status moving forward.

Jimmy Butler's potential absence portends doom and gloom

The injury to Jimmy Butler occurred in the dying seconds of the first quarter; the Heat found Butler on an outlet pass, courtesy of Kevin Love, and the 76ers, scrambling to get back, ended up fouling the Miami star on a layup attempt.

Kelly Oubre Jr., however, ended up crashing into Butler, biting hard on his pump fake. But Oubre did not land squarely on Butler's knee in the way Luka Doncic did in the collision that ended up injuring Malik Monk's MCL. The 76ers wing landed on Butler's foot, but on the landing, the Heat star buckled his knee.

In the immediate aftermath, Butler clutched onto his knee, even writhing on the ground in pain for nearly a minute before standing under his own power. The Heat forward ended up taking two free throws, making one out of two, then walking with a noticeable limp afterwards.

Jimmy Butler went down hard on this play and grabbed his knee.

Hope he's okay 🙏pic.twitter.com/L0MTdWIDb0

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 17, 2024

Jimmy Butler walking with a slight limp as he heads back to the locker room as the Heat fall to the Sixers in the Play-In Tournament 🙏pic.twitter.com/mPkpDyv6kl

See Also

Commentary: Spring is a real thing in L.A., if you go to the mountainsDon’t blame MKBHD for the fate of Humane AI and Fisker | TechCrunchFans Did Not Hold Back After The Rock Shook Hands With Jake Paul Ahead Of His Fight With Mike TysonOpinion | This defiant Ukrainian general has no smile — and surprising remarks on Trump

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 18, 2024

Any sort of extended absence for Jimmy Butler could mean doom for Miami's season, especially when a potential first-round matchup against the Boston Celtics looms — and that is if they can win the do-or-die play-in matchup against either the Chicago Bulls or Atlanta Hawks on Friday.

Adrenaline in the Heat star's soul

Adrenaline, as the old adage goes, is a “hell of a drug.” Butler didn't look like he was feeling any noticeable effects of what seemed to be a very painful knee injury. He played the next six minutes and 23 seconds of game time after he sustained the injury, and he only rested for a total of three minutes and 29 seconds in the second half — battling hard against the 76ers despite having more of a noticeable limp as the game went on.

Even head coach Erik Spoelstra saw that Butler was laboring in the second half, although in a must-win game for the Heat, against a franchise that Butler dislikes, there was no way the 34-year old forward was going out, even if it may come at the expense of his long-term health.

“As the second half went on, it started to limit him a little more,” Spoelstra said of Butler's injury, per Ira Winderman of Sun-Sentinel.

It's difficult to fault Erik Spoelstra too much for giving Jimmy Butler quite the heavy workload. Superstar players have shown that they can play through serious injuries, with one of the most memorable instances coming back in 2013 when Russell Westbrook played through a torn meniscus, looking like his usual self before being ruled out indefinitely following the game.

The Heat will now be hoping against hope that Butler only suffered a knee contusion or a minor knee injury that won't keep him out for the foreseeable future.