The Dub Nation was left petrified when Jimmy Butler took a nasty fall in Game 2 against the Houston Rockets. They pointed their fingers at Amen Thompson, Draymond Green, and everything in between, scrambling for answers. But now, a veteran journalist has come out to give us all an update regarding Jimmy’s injury. And just to calm you, Warriors fans’ nerves, it’s a positive one!

Jimmy’s fall was gnarly, and as he lay motionless after it, fans feared the worst. After all, he was ruled out with a pelvic contusion. However, it seems his injury may not be as serious as it seems. Despite the nasty visuals, The San Francisco Standard‘s Tim Kawakami took to X to reveal what his NBA sources had told him.

“Though the Warriors, as scheduled, are staying over in Houston tonight, the plans are for Jimmy Butler to fly back to the Bay Area tonight to get an MRI tomorrow. Initial X-rays at the arena show no major damage, but an MRI will give more details,“ wrote Tim on X.

So, while the Dubs practice for Game 3 to host the Rockets at the Chase Center, Jimmy Butler will be away getting examined by doctors. But his injury had the potential to be part of a much larger problem for the Dubs. That’s because tonight’s game saw a few fights break out, all of which had the potential to cause massive problems. The biggest one, by far,  involved a usual suspect, Draymond Green.

Green and Fred VanVleet got chippy with each other during a timeout as players from both teams began surrounding them. It almost seemed like punches would start flying at any moment. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed as their teammates pulled the heated rivals away from each other. Draymond and Fred risked getting technical fouls for their actions. Or even worse, he could get ejected—and then suspended—for Game 3..

And the Warriors know firsthand what a starter getting suspended in the postseason leads to. Yes, we’re talking about Green’s suspension in Game 5 of the 2016 Finals ruining their 73-9 season. However, as things stand, Jimmy Butler’s the only Dubs player who’s at risk of missing Game 3. But that begs the question: is there a timeline for Jimmy’s return?

When might Jimmy Butler make his return from injury for the Dubs?

Jimmy Butler has the same injury that Stephen Curry suffered a few weeks ago. Namely, a pelvic contusion. At the time, Dr. Nirav Pandya, professor of Orthopedic Surgery at UCSF, gave us some insight into this injury. “Key is that a contusion is bruising /inflammation to soft tissues and/or bone. An MRI helps to better define the injury. Return to play is usually centered around pain relief,” he wrote on X.

It took 2 regular-season games before the pain was manageable for Steph Curry. And we’ll only know how long it may take for Jimmy once the Dubs get him an MRI. Dr. John Vausdevan of UPenn says it could take anywhere between a few days to a couple of weeks to recover from such an injury, depending on its severity.

Dr. Vasudevan made these revelations back in 2022, during the FIFA World Cup, when  Christian Pulisic suffered a similar injury. He said that an injury like this, while bothersome, still leaves room for the injured athlete to compete in their sport while recovering. However, he did add that “it’s going to be quite a nuisance to do so and still perform at a high level.”

So, what does all this mean for Jimmy Butler’s return? Put simply, he’ll be back soon. But how soon depends on how severe the injury to Butler really is. And we’ll have more clarity on that tomorrow. So make sure you check back in to find out what lies in store for the man who turned around the Dubs’ fortunes this season!