In the final preseason game of 2014, two-time All-Star David Lee suffered a hamstring ιnjury that set the stage for a moment that changed the franchise forever and is still felt today.

Draymond Green, a third-year forward at the time, seized the chance to start after Lee’s ιnjury with both hands. Green, who placed second in the voting for Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved that season, would never give up his starting position as a power forward.

Could Jonathan Kuminga emulate the Golden State Warriors’ past by unseating Draymond Green for the starting power forward position?Could the four-time All-Star be about to be on the other side of the equation, nearly ten years after his ascent following an ιnjury? Green’s absence from the game earlier this week was not due to an ιnjury but rather to another act of unsportsmanship that resulted in an indefinite suspension from the league.

For the next few games, at least, Jonathan Kuminga will start in his place. Similar to how Green performed in 2014–15, Kuminga is in his third year after averaging about the same number of minutes in each of his respective second seasons.

Even before Green’s suspension, which frees up more playing time, the 21-year-old was enjoying his greatest run of the year. He didn’t play in the first half of Golden State’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers last week, but he has since established himself despite the team’s continued difficulties.Against the Trail Blazers, Kuminga scored 13 points in the second half to assist the Warriors escape a Ԁire situation. He then outperformed the Oklahoma City Thunder with 24 points and a career-high 12 rebounds, the Phoenix Suns with 16 points and 6 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Clippers with 15 points and 5 rebounds.

Despite Golden State winning just two of his previous seven games, the former seventh overall choice has had a positive plus-minus in six of them. It looks like this is the moment for Kuminga to finally start receiving meaningful and consistent minutes, as fans have been patiently waiting for.

However, can this be more than just Green’s brief spell in the starting lineup before to his return? Not always. The 33-year-old’s return may not be inevitable if Kuminga performs well and the Warriors can get back to winning ways.

The Athletic’s Shams Charania was questioned if Kuminga could hold that position even after Green returns on FanDuel’s Run It Back earlier in the week. To which he replied, “1000%.”

Before leading the Warriors to their first championship in forty years, Green developed into one of the league’s greatest defenders and one of its most improved players in 2014–15. That’s not to assume Kuminga will do those kinds of things, especially considering the season is already more than 25% finished, but we might witness a comparable shift with lasting effects.