There was initial speculation of a potential Jimmy Butler return by Christmas Day against the Denver Nuggets, but ESPN's Anthony Slater has seemingly crushed that hope with a bleaker update on the Golden State Warriors star.
While Butler is making good progress from the torn ACL he suffered against the Miami Heat in January, Slater reports that a return in January or February is seen as an optimistic outcome rather than any talk of coming back before the end of the calendar year.
Jimmy Butler won't return until January at the earliest
A return in January would align with the usual 12-month timeline for an ACL injury, with the Warriors assuredly taking no risks with the soon to be 37-year-old in what will be his 16th NBA season.
"A return in January or February can be considered an optimistic target, but there are plenty of checkpoints ahead before getting that clearance. The Warriors' lead medical decision-maker, Rick Celebrini, is noted for a cautious approach," Slater wrote.
This is not overly surprising, particularly when you recall De'Anthony Melton's return from the same injury in the past 12 months. Despite some hope that he'd return for opening night, Melton didn't play until December which was essentially 13 months from the moment he'd torn his ACL against the Dallas Mavericks in 2024.
The problem is that, no disrespect to Melton, Butler is clearly more important to Golden State's fate and therefore puts his injury return in far sharper focus. The Warriors' season not only hinges significantly on when Butler returns, but on exactly how he looks and how quickly he can ramp back up to being somewhere near his pre-injury self.
Warriors won't risk Jimmy Butler to save their season
While there's some pressure on Butler and the medical staff to get back on the floor, his return is going to be independent of how Golden State are progressing. They clearly won't take any risk with Butler, even if their season is on life support and with few other solutions.
In fact, the Warriors hovering around or less than .500 might make them even more cautious with Butler's return. Why rush to bring a star player back into the fold if the season is effectively over anyway from a playoff standpoint?
Butler is crucially entering on an expiring contract, meaning he'll have motivation to return strongly and rebuild his value regardless of where Golden State are sitting during the January and February timeframe.
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