Disaster potentially struck the Golden State Warriors on Monday night, in their game against the Miami Heat. Near the halfway mark of the third quarter, star forward Jimmy Butler III suffered an apparent
knee injury, and needed help off the court.
Butler had the ball at the time of the injury, which was non-contact. The video replay showed his right leg bending at a strange angle as he landed following a caught pass, at which point Butler let go of the ball, yelled in pain, and fell to the floor. As he lay on the floor clutching his knee, cameras caught him yelling multiple times in pain and frustration, before the broadcast went to a commercial break. When the broadcast returned, Butler was being helped off the court by Buddy Hield and Jonathan Kuminga, and moving slowly and unable to put much, if any weight on his right leg.
Needless to say, the concern level is very high for the Warriors. Knees are scary body parts to injure, and it didn’t look good at all. We won’t speculate on the severity of the injury, but we can provide a little context for when the severity is determined. If it’s a knee sprain, Butler will likely be out for a few weeks. If it’s a hyperextension or a mild meniscus injury, he’ll likely return sometime after the All-Star break. And if it’s the worst case scenario — an ACL tear — then Butler will miss the rest of this season, and about half of the next one, too. Needless to say, if that’s the case, then the Warriors chances for making any noise this season all but disappear.
Fingers crossed that the doctors deliver good news for Butler and the Warriors. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more.
