Steve Kerr Sends Clear Message on Jonathan Kuminga’s Future

Jonathan Kuminga is finally out of Steve Kerr’s doghouse.

The young, beleaguered Golden State Warriors forward has earned Kerr’s trust back after his solid showing in their 117-93 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday in Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinals series.

“[Kuminga] did a great job, I thought,” Kerr told reporters after the loss. “I was very proud of just the way he’s stayed ready, stayed positive. This has not been an easy stretch for him, and he really came out there and did a great job today, kind of showing what he’s made of.

“He obviously will be back out there for Game 3. And we’re going to need him.”

Kuminga hit his first eight shots and finished with 18 points, five rebounds and one assist in 26 minutes.

“The confidence just came back,” Kuminga told reporters after his best performance in the postseason.

Kuminga was not part of Kerr’s playoff rotation. But injuries to their stars — Jimmy Butler sitting out one game with pelvis contusion in the Houston series and now Stephen Curry out for at least a week with hamstring injury — opened the door for Kuminga to get back into the rotation.

Jonathan Kuminga Dunks Over Rudy Gobert

The 22-year-old forward seized his latest opportunity by being decisive.

His big moment came when he dunked over Rudy Gobert in the second half that sparked the Warriors’ furious rally that cut the Timberwolves’ 22-point lead to seven.

Kuminga said he was looking to pass to Butler when he saw Rudy Gobert during his baseline attack. But Butler and Draymond Green told him to go for it.

And he did it in an emphatic fashion, dunking over the towering Minnesota center.

“Wow,” Kuminga said when he got Butler and Green’s approval. “This is the moment. I might as
well just make something good happen and I think having Draymond and Jimmy telling me to go for it. That’s a big trust and I just had to make something happen.”

With Kuminga expected to play an expanded role in the series until Curry could return, getting his rhythm back bodes well for him and the Warriors.

“Everything just came back together, as long as you stay out there and you know who you’re playing with,” Kuminga said. “Just having that rhythm, breaking this way and just staying, locked in. The rhythm kind of comes back slowly.”

Game 2 Experiment Leads to Jonathan Kuminga’s Breakout

“We had found a formula over the last couple of months and obviously we’re having a lot of success but without Steph, the formula completely goes out the window and we’ve got to figure out the next formula,” Kerr explained.

In Game 2, Kerr played 14 players, primarily to protect Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green from getting ran to the ground. But also because he was searching for the right combinations.

He found something with Kuminga and big man Trayce Jackson-Davis, who added 15 points and six rebounds.

“All of a sudden with Steph’s injury, with the the opponent that we’re playing against, they’re back in the the forefront,” Kerr said of Kuminga and Jackson-Davis. “So both of them provide the athleticism and the finishing that we’re going to need against this team.”