The Golden State Warriors got an unexpectedly big boost on Thursday night in their 130-104 win over the Sacramento Kings.
The addition of Jimmy Butler has been great for the Warriors, but the return of another 6-foot-7 forward really spurred them to victory on Thursday.
Jonathan Kuminga had missed over 30 games with an ankle injury, so he played just 20 minutes off the bench in his return. But, oh, did he make the most of those minutes.
The 22-year-old finished with 18 points, three boards, one assist, and one steal on 7-for-10 shooting from the floor and 4-for-6 shooting from the charity stripe.
The efficiency was a product of Kuminga's aggressiveness in the paint, where he took nine of his 10 shots.
Steve Kerr noted how Kuminga's ability to score at the rim helped open up the game with teams overloading on Steph Curry at the three-point line.
"I thought he played really hard, which you notice is just the different dimension he gives us with his explosion to the rim," Kerr said. "With the way teams are playing Steph, everybody now is just top-locking him... so if you have a guy like JK who can attack and score at the rim it's a huge help."
"I thought Jonathan was really good tonight. I was just happy for him. He's put a lot of work in. It was a bad ankle injury. Worse than we originally thought."
Steve Kerr on Jonathan Kuminga's return pic.twitter.com/Q1YFf8PBy5
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) March 14, 2025
Nearly all of Kuminga's offensive action came right around the rim in his return. He was clearly making a concerted effort to be aggressive, and despite that ankle injury that was "worse" than the organization originally thought, the Congolese hooper was unafraid to be physical and take contact in the paint.
That presence at the rim was especially apparent in the fourth quarter, when the Warriors outscored the Kings 34-21 to pull away.
All three of his made field goals in the final period were dunks, including a filthy double-pump ditty and a clever give-and-go alley-oop.
He also showed his two-way potential when he had a strip and steal and, rather than pass it off, pushed it all the way to the rim himself on the fast break, earning the foul.
Jonathan Kuminga in his return:
18 points on 7/10 in 20 minutes pic.twitter.com/coA7qGv2Uu
— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) March 14, 2025
Kuminga's return to the lineup gives the Warriors a lot more size, athleticism, and defensive toughness. His inside scoring should help open things up a little bit more for Curry (11 points on Thursday), as Kerr pointed out.
Seeing Kuminga, Moses Moody (17 points), and Buddy Hield (16 points) all go for 15+ in the same game also has to be encouraging for Kerr and company as they look to keep themselves free of the Play-In tournament down the stretch.
Golden State currently sits in sixth in the West (38-28), half a game ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves (38-29) in the top Play-In spot.
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This story was originally published March 14, 2025 at 11:30 AM.