Getty Jonathan Kuminga reacts to a play in a game against the Charlotte Hornets.
Rookie Jonathan Kuminga has waited patiently for his opportunity to make a real difference for the Golden State Warriors. With a setback to starting wing Andrew Wiggins, Kuminga is finally getting that chance.
Wiggins was placed in the league’s health and safety protocol this week, keeping him out of Monday’s game against the Sacramento Kings and allowing Kuminga to move into the starting lineup. Guard Jordan Poole had already been placed in protocols last week, which along with a rest day for some other veterans helped Kuminga reach another big milestone.
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Unclear Status for Wiggins, Opportunity for Kuminga
As ESPN reported, it remains unclear just how long Wiggins could be out. He needs to return two negative COVID-19 tests 24 hours apart to be eligible to return, leaving his status for the December 23 game against the Memphis Grizzlies up in the air.
Wiggins at one point faced the prospect of missing half the season, as the veteran wing said before the season that he was unsure whether he would get vaccinated and San Francisco’s mandate would have prevented him from playing in any home games. After the league denied him an exemption, Wiggins ultimately decided to get vaccinated.
The absences for Wiggins and Poole and injuries to other teammates have handed a big opportunity to Kuminga. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr cut short the recent road trip for the injured players along with veteran Steph Curry, sending them back to San Francisco to avoid the complications of cross-border travel for a game against the Toronto Raptors. Kuminga started for the first time and played 36 minutes, scoring 26 points.
As Evan Webeck of the Mercury News noted, the 19-year-old Kuminga became the youngest player in franchise history to score 20 or more points.
“I knew I was going to get a lot of minutes since we didn’t have a lot of guys,” Kuminga said after the 119-100 loss. “There are days I come in and play and days I don’t play, and that’s just the learning lesson. … With that being said, I just come out here and play as hard as I can. I have to play hard for me to get those minutes because if I was going out there and I didn’t do what I need to do, (coach Steve Kerr) was going to take me out.”
Steve Kerr’s message to Jonathan Kuminga after his 26-point outing Sat night: “If we were a lousy team, you’d be doing this every night. … But you wouldn’t be learning how to win.” Pregame post on Kuminga, who will start again tonight: t.co/Nwl7fs6Pam via @sfchronicle
More Chances for Rookie
Kuminga is expected to get more opportunities should Wiggins remain out longer this week, as Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said that the lottery pick would be starting in place of Wiggins. Kerr has taken a patient approach with both Wiggins and fellow rookie Moses Moody, regularly sending both to the G League Santa Cruz Warriors in order to get more playing time.
After Kuminga’s breakout performance against the Raptors, Kerr gave the lottery pick some praise but made it clear that he’s still a work in progress.
Jonathan Kuminga shot 4-of-6 on 3s (1 miss was an end-of-quarter heave) against TOR.
Here’s a clip comparing before and after. You can see the process of him trying to gain a sense of repeatability and consistency. Noticeably more of a consistent arc and trajectory tonight.
“JK is a dynamic athlete,” Kerr said after the loss, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “He’s powerful and explosive. He can get downhill. So, you see the potential. It’s great to see him knock down some 3-point shots; that’s going to be a big part of his development. He’s got to get more than one rebound in 36 minutes, especially with athletic ability and frame. He had six turnovers.”
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