Although Jimmy Butler has not played due to an injury, his presence can still be felt in every Miami Heat game. Just this Friday, the star forward showed his respect for teammate Nikola Jovic in a peculiar and, therefore, memorable way.

An untimely ankle injury has kept Butler off the court since November 9. His absence has weighed on the team, which has lost two of its last four games, to march with an overall record of 5-6 and 1-1 in the NBA Cup.

As doctors give him the green light to return to action, Butler supports his team in the best way possible, as he did this Friday during the game against the Indiana Pacers. However, fans are still debating if he was supporting or trolling Jovic.

Butler’s mask

During the game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, television cameras caught Butler wearing a clear mask like the one Jovic has been wearing since suffering a broken nose in the game against the Detroit Pistons, earlier this week.

While the press says Butler was trying to honor Jovic for his resilience and commitment to the team, some fans think it was the opposite.

“Naah, Jimmy is such a troll,” said one user on X (formerly Twitter) upon seeing the image. “So funny I forgot to laugh,” said another, while a third noted, “Does anything to get on camera. He’s so weird.” Finally, one more chided, “Imagine if he played instead of doing gimmicks on the bench.”

What’s next for the Heat

Even though they won Friday’s game 124-111, the Heat are in for a tough week. On Sunday, the team will play the second game of the series against the Pacers and then will face the Philadelphia 76ers and the Dallas Mavericks.

If the team wants to make a comeback in the Eastern Conference, where it currently occupies sixth place, it will have to have all its players at full capacity, starting with Butler himself.