SAN FRANCISCO — On the verge of returning to the court, Jonathan Kuminga still faces a major hurdle in his long recovery process from a severely sprained ankle.
Kuminga, 22, participated in practice for a second straight day on Thursday but again wasn’t cleared for live contact. The Warriors aren’t going to activate him before he scrimmages with the team, effectively ruling him out for Friday night’s game in Sacramento.
The Warriors-Kings game is Golden State’s first matchup out of the All-Star break in what the team describes as a 27-game playoff to reach the postseason. It’s also expected to be Kuminga’s 22nd straight missed game.
Kuminga is averaging 16.8 points and five rebounds per game this season. Before his injury, he was playing the best basketball of his career, making an impact defensively and on the boards while racking up double-digit points in 17 straight games — including three 30-plus point bursts.
The team didn’t expect Kuminga to be ready right after the All-Star break. Steve Kerr said last week that he wouldn’t anticipate him playing in the “first few games” after All-Star weekend. The team is generally cautious with ramping players up and easing them back into action, especially if they’ve missed significant time like Kuminga has.
Kuminga sprained his right ankle on Jan. 4. A source told this news organization it was a Grade 3 sprain — the most severe classification of the injury, and one that can take up to 12 weeks to heal.
The past six weeks are by far the longest time Kuminga has been sidelined in his NBA career. He started in a walking boot before graduating to crutches and a stabilizing brace. For roughly the past two weeks, he has been going through individual workouts and drills, including over the All-Star break in Miami.
Since the organization hired director of sports medicine and performance Rick Celebrini in 2018, the medical staff has been meticulous in making sure players are healthy enough to play. Veteran Kevon Looney said before Celebrini, the training staff treated injuries a bit differently.
“Now we have a lot more staff, a lot more people, have to jump through a lot more protocols to get cleared,” Looney said. “Here, we take injuries really seriously. I feel like we have one of the best staffs in the league. They’re going to make sure that you’re ready to get back on the court. And not just from ‘You’re cleared to play because the doctor said so,’ but you’re cleared because you’re in good enough shape, you’re strong enough so you don’t get hurt again.”
After the Kings game Friday, the Warriors host the Mavericks on Sunday and the Hornets next Wednesday. That could give Kuminga at least two more practice sessions before the Warriors’ East Coast trip that starts at the end of the month.
Whenever Kuminga returns, the Warriors envision playing him alongside Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green at center. The trio will present some spacing concerns, but should allow the Warriors to be more athletic and defensive-minded across the front line.
The Warriors have been reticent to start Green at center this season in an effort to avoid putting too many miles on him, but Kerr said it’s much less daunting to do so with only a third of the season left.
“We’re definitely going to roll it out there,” Kerr said of small-ball lineups with Green. You’ve got to put your best players on the floor. Once JK’s back, that lineup will be featured at times. We’ve got to sort through it and see what makes the most sense in terms of the actions that we’re running, what we’re doing defensively, all that stuff.”