The Miami Heat enter the final third of the 2023-24 regular season in the play-in zone, but they are just a half-game back of the Pacers for the sixth and final automatic playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Heat made the Finals from the play-in tournament a season ago, so they know the important thing is to just make the field and then turn things on. Unfortunately, the Heat might not have their best player on the floor right away once the All-Star break ends. Jimmy Butler is dealing with a personal issue and missed Miami’s games against the Celtics, Bucks and 76ers before the break. The Heat did still manage to win two of those contests. Here’s the latest on Butler.
Jimmy Butler news
The Heat don’t play until Friday, so we’ll know more about Butler’s status when the 5 p.m. ET injury report gets released at the latest. The team could announce something prior to that. The relatively good news is that this isn’t a physical ailment, so Butler’s timeline for returning isn’t reliant on muscles or bones healing. The All-Star break did come at a good time for the forward, who should have been able to spend plenty of time with his family during this tough period. He might miss one or two more games but his indefinite leave of absence shouldn’t last longer than that.
Playoff implications for Heat
As stated earlier, the Heat might not really care about making the playoffs as long as they can get into the play-in tournament. Since Butler isn’t dealing with a physical issue, he should be back sooner rather than later. The Heat have been able to play without him and other key guys on the mend, so they should be fine without him. They don’t need a major run to top the Pacers for the No. 6 seed, so they should be able to avoid the play-in tournament if they can take care of business against lesser foes for the remainder of the year.
Betting/fantasy impact
Outside of Butler, the Heat are also dealing with injuries to Terry Rozier and Josh Richardson. That means Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and new acquisition Delon Wright should be getting significant playing time. When Butler does come back, I can see Jaquez Jr. and Robinson getting less usage. Herro and Wright probably have the most staying power as DFS options, even when Butler returns.