“It’s Kind of Irritating”: Jonathan Kuminga Reacts to Being Told to “Stay Ready” After Finally Breaking 3 DNP Streak

Heading into Game 2 in their first-round series against the Houston Rockets, the Golden State Warriors were feeling good. They had already taken the series lead and home-court advantage, thanks to a relentless defensive effort in Game 1 that held Ime Udoka’s club to a season-low 85 points, and now they had the chance to put the Rockets in an 0-2 hole at home, which is a place few teams have ever come back from.

One day later, the tables have turned. The Rockets went wire-to-wire to get the win and even the series, but the biggest story was Jimmy Butler, who took a nasty fall on his backside after jumping for a rebound in the first quarter and being undercut by Amen Thompson.

Jimmy Buckets exited the game and didn’t return. He has since been diagnosed with a pelvic contusion, though the Warriors don’t yet know his status for Game 3.

The Warriors seemed to be going through the motions for much of the season, but they were rejuvenated by their acquisition of Butler at the trade deadline. Butler’s two-way ability made Golden State look like one of the best teams in the league and a legit threat in the West. It’s a big reason they were favored to beat the Rockets, despite Houston being the No. 2 seed.

If Butler is going to miss any time, it will put the spotlight back on Jonathan Kuminga, who had been put on the shelf at the end of the season.

Kuminga, who was once thought to be one of the Warriors’ most important players, has fallen out of favor with Steve Kerr, and he had three straight DNPs before last night. But when Butler went out, he came in and played 26 minutes, his most in a game in over a month.

Jonathan Kuminga has the chance to get back in Steve Kerr’s good graces

Kuminga wasn’t particularly impressive last night, as he shot just 4-12 on his way to an 11-point performance. That didn’t make him very unique among the Warriors, though, as nobody who played at least 25 minutes shot 50% from the floor. It was a rough offensive performance all around, as Golden State was held under 100 points by Houston for the fourth time in seven meetings this season.

If there’s a silver lining to Butler’s injury, it’s that it gives Kuminga a chance to earn his spot back. The Warriors are going to need all hands on deck to get by the Rockets and navigate a path in the West that will include meetings with the Lakers or Wolves and then the Thunder in the Conference Finals, and Kuminga’s athleticism gives the Dubs an added dimension.

Kuminga said after the game that despite not having his number called by Kerr lately, he hasn’t slacked off in his preparation. “I’ve been ready. I hate the fact that everybody has to tell me all the time, ‘Be ready, be ready,’ because in my mental, my mindset, I already know that I’m ready… It’s kind of irritating.”

Kuminga was arguably the third-most important Warrior after Steph Curry and Draymond Green for much of the season, so it’s good to see him stay humble and not disrupt the team. It also bodes well for his ability to contribute if called upon for the rest of this series.

Steph Curry still believes in Jonathan Kuminga

Curry was asked after the game about Kuminga’s return, and to no one’s surprise, he had positive things to say while also gently alluding to aspects of his game Kuminga can improve upon to help the team and earn himself more playing time.

“As soon as Jimmy went down, I actually saw [Kuminga] on the bench and gave him a little love,” Steph said, before continuing that the challenge for Kuminga is to “understand the intensity that’s out there, try to be in the right spots defensively. And then when he has the opportunities to be aggressive at the offensive end, take them.”

Curry said that despite being out, Kuminga still has the trust of his teammates. “We trust him when he has the ball in his hands, and however many minutes he’s out there, be ready to play.”

With the series shifting to the Chase Center for Game 3, Butler has until Saturday to heal. It will be interesting to see if Kuminga did enough to earn minutes if Butler is ready to go, but if he’s not, Kuminga could be the biggest X-factor on the court.