The Miami Heat will be without star Jimmy Butler as they prepare to face the Phoenix Suns tonight. It will be the seventh game he has missed since hurting his calf against the Minnesota Timberwolves on December 18. Butler head coach Erik Spoelstra discusses the team’s plans as they complete their current five-game road trip.
While returning from the calf strain injury against the Utah Jazz on Dec. 30, he suffered another injury, this time to his foot. He’d be out for the next three games, including the Heat’s win against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. According to the team’s X (previously known as Twitter) account, the injury has been labelled as “right toe MP Joint irritation” and is located in the toe area.
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra discussed the decision to send Butler back to Miami for treatment during a shoot-around Friday morning before the Suns game at the courts at Arizona State University. According to Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel, instead of staying with the team for the final game of the road trip, the head coach believed it was best for the star to return home and rest up.
“The diagnosis remains the same,” Spoelstra stated. “We felt it would be better for him to train in our facility and do things around the clock.”
Butler will be “day to day” according to Spoelstra.
Butler will miss his eleventh game on Friday night against Phoenix, and the big three of him, Tyler Herro, and Bam Adebayo will not play together. Butler’s playing status following the Suns game, according to Spoelstra, will be “day-to-day.”
“We’ll treat him day to day and we’ll see how he’s doing when we get back to Miami,” Spoelstra said in a statement.
Butler’s “role” is being played by Jaime Jaquez Jr.
The major beneficiary of Butler’s absence has been Heat youngster Jaime Jaquez Jr., who won his second NBA youngster of the Month title for his outstanding play in December. According to The Sun Sentinel, Spoelstra mentioned Jaquez’s feat, calling it “impressive.”
