Jonathan Kuminga has seen his playing time dwindle and eventually evaporate in the second half of the season.
The forward, who was once a key part of the Warriors’ rotation, has not seen the floor in a game since April 11. That is, until game two against the Houston Rockets.
Late in the first quarter, Jimmy Butler fell on his tailbone and looked to be in a great deal of pain.
Jimmy Butler took a HARD fall on this play right here. Concern would be for
-Possible coccyx (tailbone) fracture or contusion
-Possible sacrum/pelvis fracture or contusion
X-Rays will determine fracture pic.twitter.com/1140yPec7J
— Dr. Evan Jeffries, DPT (@GameInjuryDoc) April 24, 2025
MORE: Warriors’ Jimmy Butler takes nasty fall after ugly undercut by Amen Thompson
Shortly after, he checked out of the game and headed to the Warriors’ locker room.
Moments later, a familiar face visited the scoring table to check in for Golden State: Jonathan Kuminga.
This comes just hours after head coach Steve Kerr gave an update on the forward’s playing time.
“Jonathan [Kuminga] has been fantastic. His attitude, his energy on the bench, cheering guys on, staying ready. He’s a great, great young guy,” Kerr said on Willard & Dibs. “This has been tough on him, but he’s doing exactly what he should be doing, which is staying ready.”
Kuminga stayed ready, but was clearly rusty when he entered the game. Shortly after checking in late in the first, the young star attacked the basket and attempted a layup but missed it badly. Kerr did not waver, leaving him in to end the period and into the second quarter.
Jonathan Kuminga is checking into the game.
— KumingaMuse (@KumingaMuse) April 24, 2025
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During the intermission, Kerr was asked how the Warriors will respond to Butler’s absence.
“We’ll put Jonathan in and we know he can play well against these guys,” Kerr said.
According to TNT’s Lauren Jbara, Butler has been ruled out for the rest of the game with a pelvic contusion. Now with one of Golden State’s best players missing a pivotal game (and maybe more) it’s Kuminga’s time to prove he deserves this opportunity on the biggest stage.
