Ex-Miami Heat Star Jimmy Butler III Diagnosed with Glute Contusion

Golden State Warriors Jimmy Butler III avoided a significant injury and is expected to suit up as early as Game 3 of his team's first-round series against the Houston Rockets on Saturday night.

An MRI revealed that Butler is dealing with a deep glute contusion but escaped any structural damage. Experts say it will be a pain tolerance issue for Butler going forward, and he'll be questionable to play until he suits up.

Originally thought to be a tailbone injury, Butler was then diagnosed with a pelvic contusion and ruled out to return to Game 2.

The former Miami Heat star, acquired in a blockbuster five-team trade on Feb. 6, has been everything the Warriors could've hoped for when they pulled the trigger on the deal. Golden State entered Wednesday's playoff game with a 25-7 record with Butler in the lineup but watched him hit the floor hard after being run into by Rockets wing Amen Thompson while chasing down a rebound with 2:28 left in the first quarter.

Butler hobbled off to the locker room and didn't return. This is the second consecutive postseason where he's dealing with an injury issue. Fortunately, this is nowhere near as significant as the MCL sprain suffered late in the first half of last April's play-in loss to the Philadelphia 76ers that eventually ended his 2023-24 season.

Butler appeared to tweak his right knee in Philadelphia but stayed in that game despite not feeling 100 percent. An MRI would later reveal the full extent of his injury. Just over 370 days later, he was left awaiting similar results but got much better news.

Head coach Steve Kerr, who called Thompson's foul "inadvertent," is prepared to adjust if Butler misses Game 3 in order to recover.

"If Jimmy is out, we have to rethink everything, like rotations, who starts, best combinations and all that stuff," Kerr said after Game 2. "This is the playoffs. It's an incredibly physical sport. Stuff happens, people get injured and it's all part of it. There's no time to lament anything. You can feel bad for your player but you have to move on to what's next.

"Hopefully, Jimmy will be able to play, but if he can't, we've got to go through our options and put together a plan."

Tony Mejia is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at tnyce1414@gmail.com