The Golden State Warriors dropped the bad news surrounding Jonathan Kuminga’s latest injury ahead of their crucial Tuesday road game against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Kuminga was ruled out with pelvic contusion, joining Gary Payton II (thumb injury) in the Warriors’ injury report.
The timing of Kuminga’s injury came at the worst time of the season as the Warriors are looking to solidify their seeding inside the top six of the stacked Western Conference and avoid the play-in tournament.
A win over the Grizzlies will move the Warriors up to solo fifth.
Kuminga was trending into this direction when the Warriors listed him questionable on Monday following the initial evaluation of his injury. They changed his injury to pelvic contusion, the same injury that sidelined Stephen Curry for two games last week, after initially labeling it as right ankle soreness after Kuminga exited the Warriors’ blowout win over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.
Kuminga, who took a hard fall with 6:59 remaining in the second quarter, will be further evaluated, the Warriors said in a statement on Monday.
“Such a bummer,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr told reporters of Kuminga’s latest injury after Sunday’s win. “[He was] just coming back, finding his rhythm, playing well. So, hopefully, it’s nothing too serious.”
Kuminga averaged 13.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 21.5 minutes as the Warriors’ Sixth Man in nine games since he returned from a 32-game layoff due to a 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.
Gui Santos Expected to Step Up
Kerr told reporters that Brazilian forward Gui Santos will have an increased role in Kuminga’s absence, a role he succeeded during the latter’s long recovery from the ankle injury.
“Gui is our highest plus-minus guy on the year,” Kerr told reporters. “Obviously, he doesn’t 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.
“He’s a difference-maker and so I feel great about playing Gui if he has to play more with JK’s absence and he’ll be ready to go.”
Santos is plus-143 across 49 games, per Statmuse, while only averaging 14 minutes per game off the bench. The three players — Curry (+245), Draymond Green (+238) and Brandin Podziemski (+199) — 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. In 30 games without Kuminga this season, Santos averaged 5.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists while shooting 47.6% from the field and 36.2% from the 3-point line.
His scrappiness and rugged defense have earned him a spot in Kerr’s rotation.
Santos, the Warriors’ 55th overall pick in 2022, earned his stripes in the G League with the Santa Cruz Warriors before earning a standard contract in the NBA.
Draymond Green Named Defensive Player of the Month
Green solidifies his case for the Defensive Player of the Year award by earning the monthly honor in March for the Western Conference.
With Green anchoring the defense, the Warriors ranked fourth in defensive rating (109.7) in March. The veteran forward also ranked third in steals (1.9) and in contested shots per game (9.1) in the West.
According to Polymarket, Green is now the odds-on favorite to win the Defensive Player of the Year following the season-ending blood clot injury of San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama.
Green’s DPOY odds have soared from 0.3% at the start of March to a league-leading 52.4%, leaping past Cleveland Cavaliers‘ All-Star big man Evan Mobley (43.4%).
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