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Make no mistake about it — teams around the NBA have found themselves facing difficult circumstances as a league-wide COVID-19 outbreak has seen more players enter health and safety protocols than ever before. However, the Miami Heat were hit as hard as any of them.
All the while, the team has also been forced to cope with multiple injuries to key players. Topping that list is All-Star Jimmy Butler, whose tailbone and ankle issues limited him to just four total appearances in December.
More recently, though, Butler looked to be back in effect. After missing eight straight game in the middle of the month with the tailbone, Miami’s leading scorer had returned to play in the team’s last five contests, averaging 24.4 points and posting shooting splits of 47-39-95 over that stretch.
During Tuesday’s bout with the league-leading Golden State Warriors, though, he appeared to have incurred another major injury. However, that injury may not be as severe as it originally appeared.
Heat Hopeful About Butler’s Latest Injury
Although Butler has dealt with more than his fair share of bumps and bruises this season, his latest setback looked like it could be the worst of the bunch.
With just over three minutes remaining in the third quarter, Butler looked to have lost his footing while planting his right foot on a dribble move near the free-throw line. In short order, he fell to the hardwood while still holding the ball and seemed to be in severe pain.
During the timeout, he was unable to put weight on his right foot/ankle and had to be helped off the floor by some of his teammates.
According to the Sun-Sentinel’s Ira Winderman, however, there is hope within the organization that Butler’s latest ankle injury is only minor in nature. There’s even a thought that he could return to the court by the end of the week. For his part, Butler is apparently optimistic about a quick return.
“If you talk to Jimmy right now, he says he’s fine,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra noted immediately after the loss to Golden State.
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Strus’ Return Is on the Horizon
While a final determination still needs to be made on Butler, the return of another Heat player looks to be imminent. As announced by the team via Twitter on Tuesday, sharpshooter Max Strus has officially been cleared from protocols. The 25-year-old has missed Miami’s last four games.
Strus is in the midst of a career year for the Heat. After rocking and rolling to close out December, he is currently averaging 11.0 points and 3.4 rebounds in 23.1 minutes per contest and knocking down 40.4% of his three-point attempts for the year. All of those marks shatter his previous bests.
As of this writing, Marcus Garrett, Duncan Robinson, Gabe Vincent and Udonis Haslem all remain in protocols.
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