Jimmy Butler out indefinitely with torn meniscus in right knee, per report

It’s as bad as it looked.

Jimmy Butler has suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee and is out an indefinite period of time, according to TNT’s David Aldridge. The severity of his tear in immediately unclear, but Butler is reportedly determining treatment options, which could include surgery or rehab.

Butler left Friday’s game against the Houston Rockets with an apparent non-contact right knee injury, and will not return to the game. The Minnesota Timberwolves announced that he’ll undergo an MRI on Saturday morning to determine the severity of the injury.

The Wolves should be relieved Butler avoided an ACL tear, per Aldridge.

Butler suffered the injury while pivoting in the lane after an offensive rebound. He planted his leg in an ordinary move, but there was some contact from Nene to Butler’s knee moments before. It’s hard to say whether that was related.

Here’s video the play.

And here’s video of Butler walking off the court, needing help from teammates. If you want to speculate and try to read Butler’s lips, then some are saying that he may have said, “It’s torn.”

Butler leads the league in minutes under Timberwolves head coach Tom Thibodeau, averaging 37.3 minutes per game in 55 games this season. He didn’t play a minute in the All-Star Game, citing a need for rest. Certainly, that Butler suffered an injury so soon after, even if it hopefully doesn’t end up being severe, is concerning, especially since many had criticized Thibodeau for his heavy-handed rotations that arguably overused his stars.

That said, we’re wishing the best for Butler, and hopefully this injury isn’t nearly as severe as it might have seemed.