“Jimmy’s only gonna tell you he feel good. Like, he will lie, of course. So, we’ll see. He’s giving me zero reasons to not believe anything he says. So, I do believe” said Draymond Green in the aftermath of Jimmy Butler sustaining a worrying injury after Game 2 of the Warriors-Rockets series.

After crashing hard to the floor while chasing a rebound—and getting undercut midair by Rockets forward Amen Thompson—Jimmy Butler laid on the court, clutching his lower back in visible agony. It was a brutal sight. X-rays confirmed a pelvic contusion, but the full extent of the damage required an MRI. And given the weight Butler carries for the Warriors, the team’s playoff hopes were essentially riding on those scan results.

Well, it’s Thursday night, and the results are in. Bay Area fans, brace yourselves!

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Jimmy Butler has now been diagnosed with a deep glute muscle contusion. This puts his status for Game 3 against the Houston Rockets “in serious jeopardy”. Fortunately, the MRI determined that Butler avoided any fracture or structural damage. Even then, however, the news is not good for the player, his teammates, and Bay Area fans.

What is Deep Glute Muscle Contusion?

As highlighted by ‘Verywell Health’, a bruised glute, gluteal contusion, or b**t bruise, is an ailment that affects the glute muscles of the b**tocks. A b**t bruise results in pain and visible discoloration of the skin at the injury site. Jimmy Butler sustained this after taking the unfortunate fall that led Warriors fans to call for Amen Thompson’s suspension. Initially diagnosed as a pelvic contusion, the recent update has changed the site of the injury itself.

Why is it not good news, even if Butler has not fractured anything? Well, according to the Cleveland Clinic, the time it takes for a muscle contusion to heal varies depending on how severe it is, including what one does to take care of it. Moderate to severe muscle contusions may take a whopping 4 to 6 weeks to heal! However, mild muscle contusions take much less time, as the recovery period can go up to 5 to 7 days. Using the muscle too much or overstretching it after the injury could increase the recovery period.

Jimmy Butler is already suffering from a “deep” contusion. This means that his absence from the court can go on for an extended period. Not something you want to hear when the Warriors are right smack in the early stage of the playoffs, and hold a 1-1 record against the Houston Rockets. If, by some miracle, Butler returns to the court soon, he would still be placed on restricted minutes. After all, no one would want to make the injury worse by “using the muscle too much”.

As the veteran recovers from his ailment, the priority now is to determine whether he can make himself available for Game 3 or not.

Will Jimmy Butler return for Game 3 vs the Rockets?

Even before the official diagnosis, the atmosphere wasn’t looking too full of optimism. Earlier, Jimmy Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee, had texted NBA insider Marc Spears. The latter shared it on Thursday, on ESPN’s ‘NBA Today’, revealing that the message said, “Pray for the bear”. Even Butler was dropping ‘cryptic hints’, taking to social media and sharing screenshots of some songs he was listening to.

One of them was Stormzy’s 2025 track ‘Godspeed’. The screenshot was taken when the song was at the 14-second mark, right around the same time the lyric, “I’ll let go of a prayer for you, Just a sweet word, The table is prepared for you” was sung. From the looks of things, the situation has gotten to the point that Jimmy Butler has to “let go of a prayer”. So does every Warriors fan.

‘The Athletic’s Anthony Slater reported, after the update from Shams Charania, that the ‘Deep Glute Bruise’ will be managed constantly. At least till the lead up to Saturday night’s Game 3. An anonymous source has described Butler’s status as a ‘true questionable’, depending on his response to treatment. This means that his odds of availability are 50-50. Steve Kerr will most likely determine his presence to be a game-time decision. On a positive note, Butler has not been declared ‘OUT’. This reveals that the severity of his injury might not be that serious.

According to RotoWire, Jonathan Kuminga, Gui Santos, and Gary Payton can see increased on-court minutes if Jimmy Butler isn’t available for Game 3. Kuminga had seen himself get sidelined ever since Jimmy Butler joined the Bay Area franchise back in February.

After all, as Steve Kerr himself highlighted, “We found a really good formula when JK was injured and we got Jimmy. I think we went 18-2 or something right away”. Having found a winning lineup, Kerr planned on following it forward. He further revealed that “When you’re in a good groove, you just keep doing what you’re doing and then you adjust as you go”. Well, it is time to adjust now, don’t you think? Less than 48 hours now remain until the Warriors and the Rockets meet again.

The Bay Area franchise didn’t claw its way out of an abysmal stretch, only to have its playoff dreams reignited by Butler’s 23-7 takeover run—just to watch it all come crashing down in the first round. That’s not how this was supposed to go.

As Jimmy’s agent Bernie Lee put it best, all we can do right now—as fans—is hope and pray for a swift recovery for the veteran.