Out! Jimmy Butler out for “several weeks” after suffering a possible MCL tear ahead of play-in tournament
summary
- Despite dealing with a nagging injury, Jimmy Butler played 40 minutes in the Heat vs. Sixers game.
- Butler is expected to miss multiple weeks with a suspected MCL injury.
Injury to superstar athletes is the worst possible scenario come playoff time in the NBA. Unfortunately, the Miami Heat are losing, and it’s getting worse with Jimmy Butler going down during their clash against the Philadelphia 76ers. This 6x NBA All-Star has been their top gun since coming onto the scene in 2019. Miami has been one of the toughest teams in the league, largely due to injuries until recently.
Butler went down with an injury that occurred after Sixers’ Kelly Oubre Jr. fell on his leg while trying to block a shot attempt. It happened early in the game at the end of the first quarter. Although Jimmy looked like he was in a lot of pain, he was able to play for the rest of the game.
The Heat took a gut-wrenching loss from the Sixers to advance to the 2024 NBA playoffs. Jimmy Butler played 40 minutes during the game while recording 19 points, 4 rebounds and 5 a*sists. Butler played the second most minutes for Miami that night as Tyler Herro appeared in 41 minutes scoring 25 points with 9 a*sists.
The Heat have officially lost a second star to Jimmy Butler’s MCL injury
After the game, various sources reported that Jimmy Butler suffered an MCL injury. Generally, a bad MCL tear usually takes at least 6 weeks to 2 months to fully recover. That’s exactly what happened to Kevin Durant last season before he joined the Phoenix Suns. Ironically, Butler was involved in a play that led to Durant’s injury. Butler is expected to miss multiple weeks, according to Shams Charnia.
Jimmy Butler is expected to be sidelined for several weeks with what is believed to be an MCL injury. @Shamscharania pic.twitter.com/SJId33jAoM
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 18, 2024
The Heat will advance to the second round of the play-in series for the eighth seed. They will face the Chicago Bulls without two key pieces, Butler and Terry Rozier. The latter is suffering from a neck injury. Rozier did not participate in the Sixers vs. Heat matchup, nor is he expected to play against the Bulls. However, Chicago is also at a disadvantage after Zach LaVine is out for the season.