Golden State Warriors rising star Jonathan Kuminga could return as early as Thursday, March 13, against the Sacramento Kings, Anthony Slater of The Athletic reported on Tuesday, March 11.
“I could see him [coming back] Thursday night. He’s had a couple good scrimmages this last week,” Slater said on “Run It Back” on FanDuel TV. “You’re going to see him very soon, like I said, maybe as early as Thursday.”
The Warriors were initially targeting their March 8 home win over the Detroit Pistons as Kuminga’s return date but scaled it back.
According to Slater, Kuminga had “some residual swelling” which took his recovery longer than what the Warriors expected.
“He had a three-on-three workout in Philadelphia, and I was in the gym afterwards, and you could tell the ankle was still bothering him,” Slater recalled. “He was grabbing at it, talking to the trainers. I saw him that night after the game in Philly, which he didn’t play in, obviously, but he was still icing his ankle post game. There’s just been some residual swelling, so this last stage of rehab has just taken longer than they thought. They kind of projected he might be back around last week.”
‘The Most Complicated Question’
Kuminga has already missed 32 games since sustaining the significant ankle injury on Jan. 4 against the Memphis Grizzlies. The Warriors have survived Kuminga’s long absence, thanks to their midseason trade for Jimmy Butler.
They are now 19-12 since Kuminga’s injury and 12-2 over their last 14 games since the blockbuster Butler trade. They have only lost once when Butler is in the lineup.
Kuminga’s highly-anticipated return is pivotal for the Warriors, who have climbed from 11th to sixth in the Western Conference with only 17 games left before the postseason.
“That’s the most complicated question still kind of remaining for them,” Slater said. It’s tough sometimes to be dropped in to a rotation that’s winning and successful and everybody’s getting credit.”
Crowded Wing Rotation
Slater sees Kuminga eating up into Gui Santos and Moses Moody‘s minutes when he returns.
“You’ve got to take minutes away from guys right now who have been successful,” Slater continued. “Gui Santos was one of the stars in the Pistons game. Moses Moody’s having the most consistent stretch of his career.”
Sanrtos averaged 16.7 minutes during Kuminga’s absence, putting up 5.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists.
Golden State coach Steve Kerr praised Santos for his hustle and being a “connector” after his 15-point, six-rebound effort against the Pistons.
“He just knows how to play and the game really flows when he’s out there,” Kerr said of Santos.
The Warriors are now 16-1 when Moody starts. Since Kuminga was out, Moody is averaging 11.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists while shooting 37.3% from the 3-point line.
“It’s a really difficult thing when you are playing really well and then you have a key guy coming back,” Kerr told reporters after beating the Pistons. “It’s always tough so I think the idea is just bring him along slowly. Play him in short bursts. Help him get his rhythm back, but we’ve got to keep playing Gui Santos. We’ve got to keep playing the guys who are helping us win right now and so usually, this stuff has to kind of play out and so we’ll hope that it plays out.”
Jonathan Kuminga Tips the Scale
The Warriors will ease Kuminga slowly back into the rotation with minutes restriction, according to Slater.
So, they’re, probably going to work him [slowly] coming in because of the nature of the injury, maybe it’s 20 minutes in his first few games,” Slater said.
Kuminga, the seventh overall pick in 2021, went down after having the best stretch of his young career. Over his last 17 games before the injury, Kuminga averaged 19.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting 46.7% from the field and 37.3% from the 3-point line.
Slater underscored Kuminga’s value to the Warriors.
“It’s a more crowded rotation than he left,” Slater said. “But the reality is, in my opinion, for their playoff ceiling, championship ceiling, they need another big wing who can defend, who can switch, who can score at the rim, all that stuff. And that is Jonathan Kuminga. So, I think they need him at his best, playing 25 to 30 minutes, closing on most nights, if they really want to compete with the best teams in the league.”
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