Jonathan Kuminga was going to get his chance at redemption.
Jimmy Butler was laying on the ground, injured, about to be ruled out for the game. And the Warriors’ uber-talented 22-year old was up next.
So much for that, though.
Kuminga underwhelmed immensely as Golden State was blitzed by Houston with Butler and Brandin Podziemski missing for long stretches of Wednesday’s game.
After multiple DNP-Coach’s Decision games in a row, Kuminga got more than 20 minutes on this night.
But he was inefficient, foul-prone and struggled to impact winning.
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Maybe there was an element of rust for Kuminga, so potentially his time in an upcoming game when he’s more aware he’ll see so many minutes could be better.
But this wasn’t just rust.
There’s a reason the Warriors were sub-.500 when they acquired Butler, and there’s a reason they went 23-7 the rest of the regular season in games he played in.
Kuminga, for as talented as he is, didn’t appear to be the long-term answer. He made standout plays, but the record for Golden State simply didn’t reflect a cohesive unit.
So the Warriors front office went out and found a supercharged, veteran small forward instead in Butler.
Meanwhile, Kuminga awaits a trip out of basketball purgatory.
He’s a free agent at the end of the season, so there’s that light at the end of the tunnel. There have already been rumors of a sign-and-trade of Kuminga to another team, although that’s not something I would ever hear.
Kuminga didn’t handle the sudden lights of the big night game on Wednesday, so who’s to say how he’ll adjust to anything thrown at him in the days ahead. It’s a tough spot for the Warriors to be in, that’s for sure.
Jonathan Kuminga stats vs. Rockets
These are the final Kuminga stats against Houston:
- 11 points
- 4-12 FG
- 2-5 3FG
- 1-2 FT
- 3 rebounds
- 2 assists
- 1 blocks
- 1 turnover
- +/- negative-3
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