NBA

Livwly missed the final couple of weeks of the regular season, but there is a chance that he is available to play in Game 1 against the Clippers. If he does return to the rotation, he will play an important role off the bench and split minutes with Daniel Gafford and Maxi Kleber down low.

THJ wasn’t able to practice on Friday, but he should be with the team for Game 1. If he doesn’t end up suiting up, Dante Exum and Josh Green will likely see some extra minutes off the bench on the perimeter.

Melton has played in a total of seven games in 2024, with two coming this month. However, he is back on the sidelines for this one after missing their Play-In matchup with the Heat. Cam Payne and Buddy Hield will continue to fill out the backup guard minutes.

Caruso was limited to 17 minutes against the Hawks on Wednesday, and early reports indicated that his status against the Heat was “in doubt”. However, Chicago should have their best defender available as they try to win in Miami to move on to take on the Celtics. The Heat won’t have Jimmy Butler or Terry Rozier, so Caruso will be tasked with limiting Tyler Herro.

While the 2023-24 season was the best of Kuminga’s NBA career, his skill set limited where he could play within the Warriors’ rotation. According to Cleaning the Glass, 96% of his minutes were played at the power forward position, meaning he could not share the floor with Draymond Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis. That trio can be Golden State’s best defensive frontcourt, but only if Kuminga expands his offensive repertoire. “I think he sees the floor pretty well, but his fundamentals in terms of passing have to improve if he’s going to play the three,” Kerr said. “We need him to play the three if we want to have Trayce out there at the five and Draymond at the four. That ideally would be a great defensive lineup. But we’re not ready for that yet as a team.”

Thompson’s 2023-24 season came to a brutal end, as he missed all ten field goal attempts and went scoreless in Tuesday’s Play-In tournament loss to the Kings. The veteran guard, one of the all-time great shooters in NBA history, will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer. And a return to the Warriors could depend on how amenable he is to coming off the bench, which is what happened this season. “I thought Klay really showed that he was agreeable to the sixth-man role the second half of the year, even though eventually we put him back in the starting lineup,” Kerr, who noted that the team needs to add more shooting to the roster this offseason, said. “I think that’s got to be an option going forward. I would prefer not to play him 35 minutes.” Thompson’s future in the Bay Area, beginning with whether or not he’ll re-sign with the team, impacts multiple Warriors, including Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody.

Collins injured his shoulder early in the third quarter of Sunday’s win over the Pistons and will need his fifth surgery since entering the NBA. One of the previous four was to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder back in 2019, with the other three being on his left ankle. The expectation is that Collins will be healthy for the start of next season, which is unlikely to impact his fantasy value. With Victor Wembanyama firmly entrenched as the starting center, Collins was most valuable on nights when the French phenom did not play due to injury.

Robinson was cleared to play after being listed as probable for Wednesday’s game against the 76ers, but he didn’t end up being part of the team’s rotation. With Jimmy Butler sidelined, Robinson should see some minutes off the bench, though there is certainly a chance that Erik Spoelstra continues to roll with Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Delon Wright.

Miami has already ruled Jimmy Butler out for multiple weeks, and Rozier won’t be Miami’s savior that gets them out of the Play-In Tournament. Tyler Herro will continue to start, while Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Delon Wright will take on extra minutes. Duncan Robinson, who was not part of the rotation for their game against the 76ers, may end up taking on a role in this game.

Kawhi was sidelined for the final eight games of the regular season, but the team is expecting him to available for Game 1. However, they won’t officially say one way or another until closer to Sunday. P.J. Tucker has been starting in his place, and he will return to playing a bench role if Leonard is back.