Following a season in which the Minnesota Timberwolves had high expectations but were ultimately bounced in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, Jimmy Butler’s injury woes played a major role in their downfall.
Though Butler was healthy during their playoff stretch, the two-way wing missed 23 regular season games. Prior to his being sidelined, the Wolves were sitting comfortably as the three seed but had fallen all the way to the eighth and final playoff seed once the postseason kicked off. Those injury issues bled into the offseason, as Yahoo’s Shams Charania reports that Butler recently underwent surgery on his right hand.
Minnesota All-Star Jimmy Butler underwent a procedure on his right hand and has returned to offseason activities.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 26, 2018
It’s apparent how pivotal a talent like Jimmy Butler is to the Wolves’ success and it has to be a relief that the Marquette product has already returned to basketball activities following the procedure.
When healthy and on the court, Butler was a beacon of consistency for a budding Wolves team that sometimes got rollercoaster performances out of their secondary options: Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. Butler’s contract also expires following this season so it was wise of him to get the hand surgery out of the way earlier in the summer.
Minnesota offered Butler an extension this offseason, one that he understandably turned down. Butler is now set to be one of the most sought after free agents in a loaded class next offseason, but will first focus on taking the Wolves to the playoffs for a second straight season after a 14-year drought.
