“I have to read what we need. I have to read who’s playing well together. And to be very frank, the Jimmy / JK (Kuminga) combination has not been great and that’s the tricky part here,” said Steve Kerr during an appearance on ‘95.7 The Game’ around mid-April. After Jonathan Kuminga returned from a 31-game absence (owing to ankle injury), it was felt that he had become a player of the past. He was made to average less on-court minutes, and was scarcely used in Golden State’s closing lineups. His use was restricted in the ongoing playoffs too. However, since Stephen Curry’s injury, having an offensive force like Kuminga is a must. Fortunately, the power forward is not making things difficult for the Bay Area squad on the injury front.

According to the Golden State Warriors Injury Report, as highlighted by ESPN, Jonathan Kuminga’s name is nowhere to be found! This means that, unless an emergency occurs or Steve Kerr thinks otherwise, the 22-year-old will be available to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 3 of the ongoing playoff series. It also means that all of the player’s previous ailment issues seem to be behind him. For now.

Jonathan Kuminga had sustained a right ankle soreness as March was drawing to a close. A day later, he was diagnosed with a right pelvic contusion. He missed one game against the Memphis Grizzlies due to that, but not anymore. Kuminga’s most recent ailment was an illness, which prevented him from participating in Game 5 of the Warriors-Rockets series. Since then, he has been nothing but healthy as a horse.

The only player listed on the Warriors Injury Report is Stephen Curry. The 3-point leader had sustained the first-ever Hamstring Injury of his NBA career during Game 1 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The injury could not have come at a worse time for the player, as he and his teammates have to carve a path for the Western Conference Finals by going through the team headed by the player who was No. 4 in the league in scoring average. Jonathan Kuminga has averaged 11.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in his last 10 games against the Timberwolves. Therefore, he can be a reliable player to assist Jimmy Butler and Buddy Hield on the offensive front.

As for the Minnesota Timberwolves, only one player is declared ‘OUT’. Rob Dillingham, who sustained a sprained left ankle before the beginning of the playoff series, is set to miss his 9th consecutive game. This includes both of the matchups against the Warriors, all 5 of the Timberwolves-Lakers series games, and the team’s season finale game against the Utah Jazz around mid-April.

In light of these updates, changes are expected in the starting lineups of at least one franchise.

What will the starting lineup and depth chart for the Warriors-Timberwolves game look like?

According to RotoWire, 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. Furthermore, any effort that Jonathan Kuminga puts in would go a long way when competing against Anthony Edwards and co.

In light of this, the starting lineup for the Golden State Warriors is expected to look like this:

Anthony Edwards, along with Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert, should be more than enough to handle things on the offensive front. Furthermore, Rob Dillingham is the tertiary point guard. Therefore, his absence shouldn’t impact the Timberwolves’ backcourt rotation.

With this update, the starting lineup for the Minnesota Timberwolves is expected to look like this:

The Golden State Warriors or the Minnesota Timberwolves? Who will you be rooting for? Let us know in the comments section down below.