Jimmy Butler has reached another significant stage in his recovery from the torn right ACL that ended his 2025-26 season.
Speaking at Golden State Warriors Media Day, Butler revealed that he is running, taking part in light on-court work and has started dunking again as he continues his rehabilitation.
Butler tore the ACL in his right knee on January 19 and underwent surgery on February 9.
The 37-year-old described his recovery measurements as "off the charts" and expressed confidence that the injury will not prevent him from returning as the player he was before it.
The progress represents a considerable step forward from June, when Butler said he was still at least around six weeks away from running on the court.
Golden State is continuing to take a cautious approach with his recovery. Butler is not expected to be available at the beginning of the regular season and there remains no firm date for his return.
Running again matters. Dunking again matters. But neither means Jimmy Butler is ready to play an NBA game tomorrow.
That's the balance worth keeping with this update.
There has clearly been substantial progress since the early stages of Butler's rehabilitation. In June, he was still talking about the frustration of not being able to run on the court. Now he's back doing light basketball work and getting above the rim again.
For a 37-year-old recovering from a torn ACL, those are meaningful milestones.
Butler certainly isn't lacking confidence either. He believes he'll remain the same player when he returns and says the measurements being used to assess his recovery have been extremely encouraging.
Golden State, however, has every reason to think beyond individual milestones.
The Warriors need Butler available for the meaningful part of the season, not simply back as quickly as possible. With no firm return date announced, there is little benefit in trying to turn positive rehabilitation news into a countdown.
LEAN EDGE VERDICT
Jimmy Butler isn't back yet, but he's getting noticeably closer to looking like a basketball player rather than a player simply rehabilitating an injury.
Running, light on-court work and dunking represent tangible progress from where he was earlier in the summer.
The next milestone will matter even more: progressing through increasingly demanding basketball activity without his knee reacting badly.
Until then, the timetable can wait. For Golden State, the important news is that Butler's recovery continues moving in the right direction.
