Jimmy Butler will undergo surgery on torn meniscus, reportedly out 4-6 weeks

Jimmy Butler has suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee and will undergo surgery that will sideline him for four-to-six weeks, according to The Vertical’s Shams Charania.

Butler is telling friends he will return by the playoffs, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.

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. 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.

The playoffs begin on April 14, which is seven weeks away. The Timberwolves sit in fourth place in the West, but are just three games ahead of the ninth-place Clippers.