The Golden State Warriors are set to welcome back their star forward Jonathan Kuminga.
Kuminga, who has been out since Jan.4, will make his return on Thursday against the Sacramento Kings.
ESPN's Shams Charania shared via X.
"Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga – out since Jan. 4 with a sprained ankle – plans to return to the lineup on Thursday against the Sacramento Kings, sources tell ESPN. Kuminga averaged 20.5 points in his last 14 games played, and now reintegrates to a surging team," posted Charania.
The former No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft has missed the last 31 games due to a sprained ankle.
The 22-year-old was doing great prior to the injury and was posting career-highs across the board. In 32 games this season, with 10 starts, he was averaging 16.8 points per game, 5.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 0.9 steals while shooting 45.9 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from three in 26.0 minutes of action.
The last time Kuminga was on the court, the Warriors were not in a good spot. They had an 18-16 record and were flirting with a .500 record for most of the season. That all changed once the Warriors made a big splash prior to the trade deadline, acquiring superstar forward Jimmy Butler.
The addition of Butler has done wonders for the team. In their last 13 games, they are 11-2 and rank fifth in offensive rating (120.7), third in defensive rating (108.9), and second in net rating (11.7) in the last month.
The Warriors went from a playoff team to possible contenders in the span of a month. Adding Kuminga to the lineup will only do them better. Prior to his injury, he had scoring outings of 26, 34, 34, and 20 in the stretch of games prior to Jan. 4 against the Memphis Grizzlies.
The former lottery pick's recovery was slow. He started on crutches and didn't get back on the court until early February. Kuminga also dealt with swelling and soreness during this time.
Kuminga brings a new element to the team, and Butler makes it seamless.
"I think it's going to be easy," Butler said recently. "He's hella athletic. Can shoot it. Can score it in a multitude of ways. And can guard. Can definitely guard. I think he's going to come back and do what he's been doing. My job is to make it even easier on him. So come on back and help us get some dubs."
The Warriors' 37-28 record is good for the No. 6 seed in the loaded Western Conference.
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This story was originally published March 11, 2025 at 4:17 PM.