Despite Jonathan Kuminga’s successful comeback to the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, head coach Steve Kerr has stated that he will keep playing rookie center Trayce Jackson-Davis.
Following a six-game absence owing to knee inflammation, Kuminga returned to action and displayed his explosive finest qualities in the Warriors’ 118-110 victory over the Utah Jazz at Chase Center, scoring 21 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
The Golden State Warriors’ third-year forward Jonathan Kuminga looks destined for a bench position for the remainder of the season. Jackson-Davis was promoted as a result of Kuminga’s injury, while Draymond Green, in his typical power-forward role, became more of an impact player on defense. In Kuminga’s absence, the Warriors went 5-1 and finished fourth in the league in net rating.
With Jackson-Davis continuing to start alongside Green, Kerr confirmed following Sunday’s game that Kuminga will find it tough to regain his position.
After starting 29-straight games prior to his injury, that changing the starting unit is going to be difficult given the team’s success over the past fortnight.
“Why would you want to leave something that is going well when everything is running smoothly? We will simply continue to play the way that will help us win games.”
– Jonathan Kuminga
Kuminga had averaged 17.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 44 games as a starter, compared to 14.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and an assist in 26 games off the bench prior to his comeback.
Whether he’s starting or coming off the bench, Kuminga’s playing time will probably stay in the high twenties. The former seventh overall pick played more than 27 minutes against the Jazz. Because of Green’s back problem, which limited him to just 21 minutes on Sunday, Golden State may even find that the 21-year-old becomes even more important.
