
via Imago
Apr 13, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III (10) looks on against the LA Clippers as overtime expires at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

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Apr 13, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III (10) looks on against the LA Clippers as overtime expires at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images
“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.
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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’s your perspective on:
Can Jimmy Butler redeem himself in Game 5, or is he just not cut out for it?
Have an interesting take?
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:
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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:
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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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Can Jimmy Butler redeem himself in Game 5, or is he just not cut out for it?