Jimmy Butler is recovering well as he continues to make key progress midway through his ACL recovery with the Golden State Warriors.
"I know he's having a good time. He just spent his birthday this past week in Brazil hanging out with Neymar. He's had a good summer. As far as the rehab goes, he's very much in the middle months, the middle stages of long ACL rehab," veteran Warriors reporter Anthony Slater said on ESPN's NBA Today.
"I've heard good updates on his progress and the strengthening of his knee, but he's still months away from being on an NBA court. The team is going to open camp in Hawaii in a couple weeks. He's expected to just be able to do individual stuff on the side. Eventually, he'll hit the checkpoints, but even though he won't be on the court to start the season, he is obviously still a big leader for the team."
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Jimmy Butler making progress in ongoing ACL injury recovery
Jimmy Butler went down with a torn ACL in his right knee last February.
The devastating season-ending injury completely changed the course of the Golden State Warriors' 2025-26 campaign. Without the star forward, the Dubs struggled and failed to contend for a title, losing to the Phoenix Suns in the Play-In Tournament.
Seven months after his injury, reports suggest Butler has already increased his on-court work.
In an optimistic timeline, he might return in January or February at the earliest.
Jimmy Butler to gather Warriors players for offseason event
Despite being limited in his movements and unable to start the team's upcoming NBA season, Jimmy Butler continues to make an effort to bring the team together as an established veteran.
According to Slater, the Warriors star has set a player-only event for Golden State next week.
"From what I've heard, he's going to gather the team for an organized player-only event next week in Southern California, just like he did last year, so he's bringing the team together," Slater revealed.
The Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, and Minnesota Timberwolves are among the teams that have held offseason hangouts. For the Warriors, Butler is leading the initiative to help his team build familiarity and momentum ahead of the new NBA season.