Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, who has been sidelined since spraining his ankle on Jan. 4, will soon be sidelined no more. Kuminga will not play against the Orlando Magic on Thursday, but, according to The Athletic’s Anthony Slater, he could later in the Warriors’ road trip, which will see them visit the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday, the Charlotte Hornets next Monday, the New York Knicks next Tuesday and the Brooklyn Nets next Thursday.
When Kuminga got hurt, he had put up back-to-back 34-point games the previous week and Golden State was about a month away from making the Jimmy Butler trade. He will return to a different team, one that appears to have a significantly higher ceiling. How he plays down the stretch of the regular season — and, ideally, in a playoff run — could determine how the front office approaches upcoming contract negotiations, as Kuminga will be a restricted free agent this summer. Warriors coach Steve Kerr does not want him to be focused on scoring 30-plus immediately.
“We talked today,” Kerr told reporters Tuesday. “The main thing I want for JK is to not press when he comes back. It’s not an easy spot to come back into, where the team’s rolling, contract stuff this summer — he’s going to have a lot on his mind, and I want to make things as smooth and easy as possible. And I want him to understand that it’s not going to happen right away.”
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Kuminga did his first full-court scrimmage on Monday, Kerr said in an interview on 95.7 The Game, and will continue scrimmaging with coaches and end-of-the-rotation players early in the road trip. Kerr said he won’t figure out where the 22-year-old Kuminga fits in the rotation until he is cleared to return, but the Warriors are “in a good grove” with their current starting lineup of Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, Butler and Draymond Green.
“I love the starting group right now,” Kerr told 95.7 The Game.
On Tuesday, Kerr’s check-in with Kuminga included a film session. In addition to clips of Kuminga on the court, they watched “some of Jimmy’s stuff, what Jimmy’s doing right now, ’cause I think he’s the perfect guy for JK to emulate,” Kerr said.
Specifically, Kerr wants Kuminga to pay attention to Butler’s decision-making. The six-time All-Star has fit in seamlessly with the Warriors largely because of his basketball IQ.
“What makes Jimmy special is that he doesn’t try to be special,” Kerr told reporters. “He just plays fundamental basketball. The constant fundamental play — he never turns it over, he just makes the simple play over and over again. And I want JK to learn some of that. You know, he’s so explosive — I think it’s always hardest for guys who are the most talented to make decisions ’cause they’ve got too many options at their disposal. So I’m hoping that he can learn from Jimmy and that Jimmy will spend some time with him.
“I know he will. Jimmy’s really good about that. But just understanding that attacking the rim, nothing there, jump stop, pass the ball — that’s a great basketball play. Especially for us ’cause Steph Curry is on the other end of the play a lot.”
Kerr added that, before the injury, Kuminga was “on a really good track” and playing “the best I’ve ever seen him play.” Decision-making hasn’t always been Kuminga’s strong suit, though, and Kerr said that the film session was “a reminder that these are kind of the things we want.”
In theory, Kuminga will add more firepower and athleticism to a Golden State team that is looking increasingly dangerous. Green told reporters that the Warriors’ leaders, himself included, will let Kuminga know that “you don’t have to get it back in one day.” It would be natural, he said, for Kuminga to “press a little bit,” but “we’re preparing for a nice run,” and there will be “plenty of time” for Kuminga to “prove exactly who we already know he is.”
Butler did not sound the slightest bit worried about how the pieces would fit when Kuminga was back in the mix.
“I think it’s going to be easy,” Butler told reporters. “Hella athletic. Can shoot it, can score in a multitude of ways and can guard. He can definitely guard. So I think he’s going to come back and do what he’s been doing. My job is just to make it even easier on him, so come on back and help us get some dubs.”
As always, Kuminga’s role will be complicated by the fact that defenses aren’t particularly worried about him making spot-up 3s — he made 40.6% of his catch-and-shoot 3s pre-injury this season, but averaged only 2.6 attempts in 26 minutes per game. Butler’s 3-point volume is even lower, so, while Green, Kevon Looney and stretch-big Quinten Post have each played center next to Butler, the relative newcomer has not shared the floor with both Green and Looney at the same time. The Warriors will presumably experiment with playing Butler, Green and Kuminga together, but they might find that what they gain in defensive versatility is offset by poor spacing.
Green, however, pointed to the positives: “You’re integrating another dynamic player who can switch positions, who [can] get out in transition, who can score the basketball.” And while the personnel is different than it was the last time Kuminga suited up, Green told reporters that it’s not as if the Warriors have changed the way they play.
“I don’t think he’s necessarily coming back to a completely different offense; I think he’s coming back to a team with a completely different mentality,” Green told reporters. “And he’ll be fine picking that up.”
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