Golden State Warriors star Jimmy Butler contradicted his coach Steve Kerr’s earlier take that he and Jonathan Kuminga can’t play together.
In Game 3, Butler and Kuminga combined for 63 points as the unlikely duo nearly led the Warriors to a much-needed win but ultimately fell short.
Butler was encouraged by what he saw from Kuminga that he’s convinced they would win Monday’s Game 4.
It was a beautiful sight to see,” Butler said of Kuminga after the loss of Kuminga’s performance after the Warriors’ 102-97 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 3. “Like I tell everybody, me and him can thrive together.
“I know how to space the floor. I can tell him, ‘Hey, when I have the ball, you go here, and you do this.’ We talk, we listen to one another, and then he has an incredible game like [Saturday]. He did so many good things out there on the floor. I know that he’s going to be a huge part of us winning on Monday.”
Jimmy Butler-Jonathan Kuminga ‘Doesn’t Really Fit Well’
GettyGolden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr shakes hands with Jonathan Kuminga.
When Kerr decided to bench Kuminga beginning in the Warriors’ regular season finale against the Los Angeles Clippers, his reason was that the 22-year-old forward couldn’t fit next to Butler.
“Every game is different and I think Jimmy’s arrival took away a lot of Jonathan’s minutes at the four,” Kerr said on 95.7 The Game’s Mark T. Willard and Dan Dibley on April 10. “There’s no doubt that as soon as Jimmy [Butler] arrived and we started winning, we leaned into the lineup combinations that enhanced Jimmy because we were winning and Jonathan was out for that whole stretch. We went like 17 and 3 or something, so we’re going to keep doing what’s been winning.
“But the lineup with Jimmy, Jonathan and Draymond [Green] doesn’t fit really well, frankly. It just doesn’t. We need more spacing. We’ve found other lineups that have clicked, and this is just part of the deal, being in the NBA, and you’ve got to adapt to whatever’s happening with the team.”
Yet that Butler-Kuminga-Green lineup nearly carried the Warriors to victory in Game 3.
In 36 minutes the trio played together across four playoff games, they had a 22.9 net rating, per NBA advanced stats. It’s just a small sample size but it shows it can work.
Jonathan Kuminga on Playing With Jimmy Butler
Kuminga and Butler alternately attacked the Timberwolves’ defense and did not get in each other’s way.
Butler finished with 33 points on 12-of-26 shooting, seven rebounds and seven assists. Kuminga supported him with a playoff career-high 30 points on 11-of-18 shooting, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
“I think I did okay, just being around him, just playing off of him, and just knowing what he wants and just talking to him more,” Kuminga told reporters postgame. “I’ve been watching how everyone moves around him and how everyone is playing around him, and you know, it was just a matter of time before me just going out there. I think it’s the most I ever played with Jimmy.”
Steve Kerr Praises Jonathan Kuminga But Tempers Expectations
Kerr lauded Kuminga after his best postseason performance.
“He was brilliant,” Kerr said of Kuminga. “JK played one of the best games of his life. It was fantastic to see, and you can see how necessary he is in this matchup, especially without Steph. We’re having a tough time getting free, and he’s obviously capable of giving us some points, getting to the rim. And I thought he was fantastic.
“I’ve said it a couple times to you guys, I’ve just been impressed with the way he’s handled things the last couple weeks, with the way he stayed ready and put in the work. It paid off tonight.”
However, after Sunday’s shootaround, Kerr tempered expectations on the Kuminga-Butler explosive pairing.
“You just kind of move forward, and you look at where you can attack, what you can do better, and then different guys step up,” Kerr said, per NBC. “I’m very confident that both JK and Jimmy will play well. But to expect 63 points combined, again, it’s probably unrealistic.”
