The Golden State Warriors have released a concerning injury update on rising forward Jonathan Kuminga following his early exit from their 148-106 rout of the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.
“Jonathan Kuminga, who exited last nightâs game against the Spurs with 6:59 remaining in the second quarter, was evaluated today in San Antonio and is undergoing further evaluation and monitoring. He is questionable for tomorrow nightâs game at Memphis due to a pelvic contusion,” the Warriors announced on Monday.
Kuminga was initially ruled out with right ankle soreness after his awkward landing, similar to what happened to Stephen Curry in their win against Toronto on March 20. The pelvic contusion is a much different and a new injury for Kuminga. Curry was sidelined for two games last week because of the same injury.
However, the Warriors still await the result of the further evaluation to determine how long Kuminga will have to sit out.
âSuch a bummer,â Golden State coach Steve Kerr told reporters of Kumingaâs latest injury after Sunday’s win. â[He was] just coming back, finding his rhythm, playing well. So, hopefully, itâs nothing too serious.â
Kuminga is averaging 13.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 21.5 minutes as the Warriors’ Sixth Man in nine game since he returned from 32-game layoff due to significant ankle sprain. But he was only shooting 15.8% from the 3-point line, which kept Kerr from playing him together with Jimmy Butler for longer stretches.
Worst Time to Get Injury
San Francisco Chronicleâs Sam Gordon reported on X that Kuminga said heâs âstraightâ following the latest setback on his ankle injury. [Gordon] asked him if he thinks heâll miss time.
âI hope not,â he told the SF Chronicleâs Warriors beat reporter.
Kuminga exited the game after tallying four points and a rebound in seven minutes. He was plus-9 during his brief stint.
Kumingaâs injury could not come at the worst possible time. They are already without Gary Payton II, their best perimeter defender who is out with a thumb injury. Kerr was banking on Kuminga to fill Paytonâs defensive void.
The Warriors are in the thick of a fight for a playoff berth while Kuminga is also fighting for his next contract. The 22-year-old former lottery pick will enter restricted free agency this summer after his camp and the Warriors were far apart in the extension talks before the season.
Next Man Up
Brazilian forward Gui Santos will be the next man up for the Warriors. He’s done this before during Kuminga’s long absence.
âGui is our highest plus-minus guy on the year,â Kerr told reporters. âObviously, he doesnât play a ton, but he plays a really important role. He comes in and he gets offensive boards and he moves the ball and he plays with great energy.
âHeâs a difference-maker and so I feel great about playing Gui if he has to play more with JKâs absence and heâll be ready to go.â
Santos is plus-143 across 49 games, per Statmuse, while only averaging 14 minutes per game off the bench. The three players â Stephen Curry (+245), Draymond Green (+238) and Brandin Podziemski (+199) â ahead of him are all playing starters minutes.
The 22-year-old Santos is averaging 4.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists in his second season with the Warriors.
Santos, the Warriorsâ 55th overall pick in 2022, earned his stripes in the G League with the Santa Cruz Warriors before cracking Kerrâs rotation.
They have a $2.2 million team option on Santos for the 2025-26 season.
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