The most important game of the season is here for the Golden State Warriors, and one of their star players will return. Jonathan Kuminga, who missed Game Five with an illness, is expected to return and be available for action in Game Six on Friday night. Returning to the lineup, the Warriors will now go into the game against the Houston Rockets with a clean injury report.
It has not been the best series for Kuminga, but his return could provide a major spark to the Warriors as they look to close it out and advance to the next round. Playing in only two out of the five games thus far, Kuminga is averaging 9.0 points, 2.0 assists and 2.0 rebounds in 21.5 minutes this series.
Kuminga’s return
While he did warm up ahead of Wednesday night’s Game Five, a migraine ultimately forced the Warriors to scratch Kuminga. But head coach Steve Kerr told the media on Thursday that he was feeling much better and was confident that he would be able to return to play come Friday. The Athletic’s Anthony Slater was first to report on Kerr’s comments.
Kuminga’s return could not come at a better time. Up 3-1, the Warriors fell short of winning the series on Wednesday and assuming that they are able to win on Friday, will get less rest ahead of the conference semifinals. With Kuminga coming back, Kerr now has the option to expand the rotation, if he chooses, and keep the starters’ legs fresher.
Kuminga’s season thus far
On paper, Kuminga’s season has been a strong one. Averaging 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists, he finished the season in double figures for scoring for the second consecutive season and has continued his growth. But, injuries were a major issue for the 22-year-old Congolese star. Suffering a sprained ankle in early January, Kuminga was limited to a career low of 47 games and when the Warriors acquired Jimmy Butler in February, his minutes upon his return were severely limited. Questions even began to arise about his fit with this current Warriors team.
But if Kuminga has proven anything this season, and throughout his Warriors tenure, it’s that he is more than capable of being a star in this league. A dominant scorer, Kuminga is very good at finding space to get to the basket and has put up big numbers on multiple occasions. But the Warriors like players who provide some versatility and with his defense being somewhat of an issue, it can be hard to find minutes for him in certain situations.
Kuminga’s contract expires at the end of the season and he will become a free agent. However, he will be a restricted free agent meaning that a team can sign him to an offer sheet, but the Warriors would get 48 hours to match it which would allow him to remain on the team if they do. Kuminga will be a sought after player this summer, but if the Warriors want to keep him, they need to figure out how much they value him.
