Miami Heat fans watched in horror as they witnessed star Jimmy Butler drop into a heap after an awkward stomp during Monday night's matchup against the Golden State Warriors.
The Heat star had to be helped off the floor as speculation swirled regarding the severity of the injury.
Jimmy Butler is struggling to put weight on his right foot. Hope he’s okay 🙏 pic.twitter.com/dnUHGone5h
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) January 4, 2022
Jimmy Butler was helped off of the court after an apparent right ankle injury.
Hoping for a speedy recovery 🙏 pic.twitter.com/8NcgmqKXdz
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 4, 2022
Jimmy Butler had already been dealing with a lingering ankle issue. But that didn't stop NBA Twitter analysts, god bless them, from fearing the worst with the fate of the Heat star.
@ProFootballDoc #JimmyButler. Please tell me this is a bad ankle sprain and not achilles. Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/ZITsbyPs6C
— Bradley Ross (@BradleyARoss) January 4, 2022
Jimmy Butler’s injury sadly looks like an achilles tear, dropped in a heap like Kobe, Cousins & KD when they teared theirs.
— the blessed vegan 👑 (@seanlamarre) January 4, 2022
Oh fuck it look like Jimmy Butler pooped his Achilles, I hope I’m wrong
— Jamal (@FinessedBuckets) January 4, 2022
Jimmy Butler just tore his achilles. We all know how that pop looks. I hope I'm wrong but it doesn't look good
— Lemon Pepper Lou (@LVstackiN) January 4, 2022
But thankfully for Heat fans all over, it seems to just be an ankle issue. That's according to head coach Erik Spoelstra, who was able to speak directly to Jimmy Butler himself.
Via David Wilson of the Miami Herald:
Erik Spoelstra on Jimmy Butler: “If you talk to Jimmy right now, he says he's fine. … We'll have to evaluate him tomorrow.”
Despite exiting the contest midway through the third quarter, Jimmy Butler still managed to pile on 22 points, five rebounds and three assists for the Heat against the NBA-best Warriors.
Though Miami did end up taking the single-game loss, falling 115-108, having their star avoid any serious injury is a much bigger win in the long run.