Philadelphia 76ers shooting guard Jimmy Butler has been listed as doubtful for Wednesday night's match against the Brooklyn Nets following a groin strain during Monday's win over the Detroit Pistons.
Butler left the game during the first quarter, with 2 minutes and 20 seconds left on the clock. And he did not practice with the rest of the team on Tuesday.
Head coach Brett Brown has since confirmed the above, announcing that the player is a doubt for Wednesday's home clash.
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“The MRI came back favorable, but we will list him as doubtful for [Wednesday] night," Brown told reporters at the team’s training complex in Camden on Tuesday, per philly.com.
“In regards to what are we guessing or what are we thinking going forward, we really can’t make that prediction. What we can say is that the MRI revealed, as I said, nothing significant, but we deem him to be doubtful for [Wednesday] night.”
The coach did not reveal much more as it relates to the player's status but there's the notion that the Sixers are fine with leaving Butler out on Wednesday whether or not he is fit enough to play.
Butler, 29, joined the team via a trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves earlier this season and has played 13 games in a Philly uniform so far. The guard is averaging 19.8 points per game while shooting 48.7 percent and is knocking down 41.9 percent of his shots from three-point range.
What This Means
While Butler remains doubtful for Wednesday, there is little indication he will miss more games. The 76ers did not have a full five-on-five session on Tuesday so he hasn't missed all that much in terms of training.
Also, he didn't seem to be in much pain on Monday night, so if he does not suit up, it would likely mean that Brown doesn't want to risk him against opponents his side is expected to beat anyway - although they did need a buzzer-beating three from the star guard to topple Brooklyn at the end of their last encounter.