BROOKLYN, N.Y. — The Warriors’ road trip has come and gone, and Jonathan Kuminga remains sidelined by the sprained ankle he suffered over two months ago.
Is his grueling recovery process coming to an end?
“I hope so,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said before Golden State’s game against Brooklyn. “He’s been working everyday, getting in scrimmages. I know he scrimmaged yesterday. Seems like he’s getting closer, but nothing imminent.”
Kuminga has been participating in full-court scrimmages, including one in New York on Wednesday. Getting cleared for full contact is typically one of the last hurdles for an injured player to clear. Determining what’s next comes down to how he feels and how the training staff evaluates him.
“Just feeling healthy,” Kerr said of the next steps for Kuminga. “Feeling like he can be in an NBA game. The scrimmaging is good, but he has to feel right. He has to feel explosive. He has to feel healthy. We can’t rush that process.”
Kuminga, 22, hasn’t played since turning his ankle on Jan. 4. During his rehab, a source described the injury as a Grade 3 sprain — the most severe classification.
This is by far the longest Kuminga has been sidelined in his career. Draymond Green, one of his veterans on the team, said he’s been checking in on the young wing to try to keep his spirits up and make sure he’s getting his work in.
“Making sure he feels like he’s a part of the team,” Green said. “When you’re hurt in the NBA, you do not feel like part of the team. You’ve got these crazy schedules, you’re never with the team, you’re training and they’re asleep, you’re getting your rest and everyone’s at the game…It’s tough. Because you spend most of your life with these same guys.”
Kuminga was playing the best basketball of his career before spraining his ankle. He racked up double-digit points in 17 straight games — including three 30-point games — while making a consistent impact defensively and on the boards.
The team plans to bring Kuminga off the bench whenever he returns, just like they were doing during his hot streak. The difference is Golden State now has Jimmy Butler in the fold.
The Warriors are 9-1 with Butler in the lineup, allowing Kuminga to join a team that’s rolling. There won’t be pressure on him to be a savior (although there could be external pressure since he’s set to become a restricted free agent this offseason).
“The main thing I want for JK is to not press when he comes back,” Kerr said this month. “It’s not an easy spot to come back into where team’s rolling, contract stuff this summer. He’s going to have a lot on his mind. I want to make things as smooth and easy as possible. I want him to understand that it’s not going to happen right away. He was playing the best basketball of his career before the injury, and it’s not going to happen the first night where he’s going to get back to that level. It will take a little time.”
Kerr has said that Butler is “the perfect guy for JK to emulate” because of his decision-making chops. No one around the team has expressed concern about how Kuminga will fit next to Butler, including the former Heat star himself.
“I think it’s going to be easy,” Butler said. “Hella athletic. Can shoot it, can score in a multitude in a multiple ways. And can guard. Can definitely guard. So I think he’s going to come back and do what he’s doing. My job is to just make it easier on him. So, come on back and help us get some dubs.”
It’s just still not clear when that may be.
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Payton fitted with a mask
Gary Payton II is expected to play against the Nets after he got fitted for a protective mask. He suffered a non-displaced nasal fracture against the 76ers earlier this week.
Capping the trip
The Warriors can close out a resounding 4-1 road trip with a win over Brooklyn.
The last time the Nets and Warriors matched up, Dennis Schroder led a comeback by taking over in the fourth quarter…for Brooklyn. Golden State traded for Schroder shortly thereafter, then shipped him out in the Butler deal. Schroder’s now on the Pistons.
