“He wasn’t aggressive at all. He was coming to a jump stop, passing out of it. I don’t know what’s going on health wise, body-wise, maybe he got an injury that they’re not reporting, but this effort tonight is unacceptable”. Shannon Sharpe was nothing short of brutal in his assessment of Jimmy Butler after Game 4 of the Warriors-Timberwolves series. So were a lot of people. After all, the veteran was the one Bay Area fans were depending on in light of Stephen Curry’s absence, but his abysmal performance majorly reduced hopes. Butler can certainly win over those disgruntled fans by saving the Warriors from elimination in Game 5. Furthermore, despite what Sharpe is speculating, no injury issues seem to be bothering the star.
According to the Golden State Warriors Injury Report, as highlighted by ESPN, Jimmy Butler’s name is nowhere to be found. This means that, unless an emergency occurs, the veteran will be there to take on Anthony Edwards and Co. in the coming hours. It also means that the player’s troubles with his illness do not seem to be too big a problem now.
In the aftermath of Game 4, Steve Kerr revealed that Jimmy Butler had been suffering from an illness that the Warriors did not list on the injury report. Steve Kerr called the ailment “definitely impactful.” Even that could be considered an understatement, since Butler went from 26 shots in Game 3 to only 9 in Game 4. The player who was supposed to cover for Stephen Curry made only 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. However, Kerr did admit that “But he’s feeling better and he’ll be ready to go tomorrow”. Well, only time will tell.
May 6, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler (10) conducts an interview after defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves during game one of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images
The only player listed on the Warriors Injury Report, for now, is Stephen Curry. The NBA’s 3-point leader had sustained his league career’s first-ever Hamstring Injury in Game 1 of the Warriors-Timberwolves series. It could not have come at a worse time, knowing how detrimental Curry is to the team’s offensive effort. Butler and his teammates lost all 3 of the games played after Curry sustained his injury, and are just one more loss away from getting eliminated. Therefore, Jimmy Butler cannot make the same mistakes as in the previous game.
On top of that, the Warriors will also have to make good use of teammates like Draymond Green, Buddy Hield, Jonathan Kuminga (if used in the rotation), etc, who can assist the veteran on the offense.
As for the Minnesota Timberwolves, no player is listed on the Injury Report! Rob Dillingham was earlier an occupant of that list. He had sustained a sprained left ankle before the beginning of the playoff series. Dillingham missed 9 consecutive games due to that, which also included the team’s season finale game against the Utah Jazz, played back in mid-April. However, while he has recovered, the player was still not utilized in Game 4. It remains to be seen whether things will be different in Game 5.
In light of these updates, changes are expected in the starting lineups of at least one team.
What will the starting lineup and depth chart for the Warriors-Timberwolves game look like?
RotoWire reported that Stephen Curry will not be re-evaluated until next week. In his absence, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, Buddy Hield, and Brandin Podziemski will be required to step up. After the last game, Jimmy Butler has to REALLY step up. One cannot emphasize too much on it. Meanwhile, it remains to be seen just how much time Steve Kerr will give to Jonathan Kuminga. After all, he led the offensive effort in the last game by scoring 30 points.
In light of this, the starting lineup for the Golden State Warriors is expected to look like this:
POSITION
STARTER
2ND
3RD
4TH
5TH
PG
Stephen Curry (OUT)
Brandin Podziemski
Pat Spencer
Moses Moody
Taran Armstrong
SG
Brandin Podziemski
Moses Moody
Gary Payton II
Buddy Hield
Pat Spencer
SF
Buddy Hield
Gary Payton II
Moses Moody
Gui Santos
Jimmy Butler III
PF
Jimmy Butler III
Jonathan Kuminga
Draymond Green
Gui Santos
Moses Moody
C
Draymond Green
Kevon Looney
Trayce Jackson-Davis
Quinten Post
Anthony Edwards, along with Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert, can handle things on the offensive front. It is good to have Rob Dillingham back, but he is still the tertiary point guard. Furthermore, as we learned from the previous game, his on-court minutes don’t impact the game’s outcome.
With this update, the starting lineup for the Minnesota Timberwolves is expected to look like this:
POSITION
STARTER
2ND
3RD
4TH
5TH
PG
Mike Conley
Donte DiVincenzo
Rob Dillingham
Anthony Edwards
Bones Hyland
SG
Anthony Edwards
Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Donte DiVincenzo
Terrence Shannon Jr.
Jaylen Clark
SF
Jaden McDaniels
Terrence Shannon Jr.
Jaylen Clark
Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Donte DiVincenzo
PF
Julius Randle
Naz Reid
Jaden McDaniels
Joe Ingles
Leonard Miller
C
Rudy Gobert
Naz Reid
Luke Garza
Julius Randle
Leonard Miller
The Golden State Warriors or the Minnesota Timberwolves? Who will you be rooting for? Let us know in the comments section down below.
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