Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga finally broke his silence about his three straight DNP-CD (did not play-coach’s decision) after making his series debut against the Houston Rockets following Jimmy Butler‘s pelvic injury in a 109-94 Game 2 loss on Wednesday.
Kuminga said that when Golden State coach Steve Kerr told him he was not playing him in their regular-season finale — an overtime loss to the Los Angeles Clippers for the No. 6 seed, he did not know what was going to happen.
But it was not the first time he had been benched.
“I kind of grew into it,” Kuminga told reporters after the Warriors’ loss. “I’ve been here for four years, and throughout these four years, there were times I didn’t play, and it messes with my head sometimes as a very young player, but I kind of grew into it.
“So, it’s just something I feel like I’m getting better at and I’m still [learning] in controlling those types of [emotions], conversations, moments and situations knowing that no matter what I’m doing, when they tell me things like that, [I’m no longer affected].”
Steve Kerr Lauds Jonathan Kuminga For His Positivity
Kerr said Kuminga was “fantastic” throughout the ordeal.
“Jonathan [Kuminga] has been fantastic,” Kerr said on 95.7 The Game’s “Willard and Dibs” show on Wednesday before the Game 2 loss. “His attitude, his energy on the bench, cheering guys on, staying ready. He’s a great, great young guy. This has been tough on him, but he’s doing exactly what he should be doing, which is staying ready.”
Kuminga was enthusiastic from the bench in Game 1, a stark contrast to the reports that he became a “ghost” around the Warriors during their play-in win against the Memphis Grizzlies and the loss to the Clippers.
“I’m just trying to encourage the rest of the guys like QP (Quinten Post) and Moses [Moody],” Kuminga said. “I try to just talk to them. I don’t try to be a negative energy and just try to be positive.
“If you ask the rest of the people, they know what’s going on. I never — you’ve got to get to know me. You’ve got to come to me and talk.”
Kerr encouraged Kuminga to remain engaged and be ready when his number is called.
“I’ve told him, and our coaches have told him, things can change in a heartbeat in the NBA,” Kerr continued. “He’s got to just be ready for when his time comes, and that’s exactly what he’s doing. I would be surprised if, at some point, his time doesn’t come.
“When you’re in a good groove, you just keep doing what you’re doing and then you adjust as you go.”
Mental Challenge
His time finally came when Butler came crashing hard on the floor in a scary fall with 1:51 left in the first quarter after Rockets guard Amen Thompson collided with him underneath the basket. Butler was ruled out for the remainder of the game because of a pelvis contusion.
As expected, Kuminga was rusty after the three-game layoff.
The 22-year-old forward shot a measly 4-of-12 from the field to finish with 11 points in 26 minutes. While his rhythm was off, he tried to help the Warriors in other areas. He added three rebounds, two assists and a block for good measure.
“It wasn’t all great,” Kuminga bluntly said of his comeback game. “I feel like I could have done better. I’m just trying to figure out where to be, what to do, how can I play — just things like that. We did not end up winning, but so far I feel like I just went out and played hard.”
Kuminga said he will watch the tape to see where he can improve as he stays ready, if Butler has to sit out Game 3 pending the result of his MRI.
“I think the biggest challenge is having my mental right,” Kuminga told reporters. “The more it’s in the place where I want it to be, the easier the game is going to be. So far, I’ve been working on that and just trying to have the right mentality, and I feel like today, I think my mentality was right. That’s why I went out there and just tried to play as hard as I could.”
