Jonathan Kuminga ‘stayed ready’ for the Warriors. What will he do with his second chance? ...Middle East

HOUSTON – Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, wearing a businesslike tie and button-up, was so insistent that he was prepared for Wednesday night’s Game 2 against the Rockets that he said some variation of “stay ready” over a dozen times when talking to reporters at his locker. 

“It’s not something I was expecting,” Kuminga admitted, before adding, “You’ve got to stay ready, because the moment and chances, you don’t get them back, so you always have to stay ready.”

When Jimmy Butler left the game late in the first quarter of the Warriors’ 109-94 loss with a pelvic contusion, Kuminga got a chance to prove that was more than just talk in 26 minutes against an uber-physical Rockets defense in front of a hostile crowd. 

Kuminga wanted to make it abundantly clear that he took no joy in watching his teammate sustain the injury that put him back in the lineup after being a healthy scratch for the past three games. 

“We don’t know what’s going to happen, but hopefully he gets back,” Kuminga said. 

Kuminga, who scored 11 points on 4-of-12 shooting, grabbed three rebounds and had a block, said he focused on staying positive while out of coach Steve Kerr’s rotation. 

Did Kuminga know why his coach had cut his playing time to zero? 

No. 

“I try not to think about it,” Kuminga said. “I just try to stay ready, I try not to think about why I’m not playing or why I’m playing. The more I think about it, the more it’s not going to seem right in my head, so I just block all that noise and just stay focused on whenever I get my chance.”

Did Kuminga let that lack of minutes stop him from being his teammates’ biggest cheerleader?

Also no. 

“I just tried to have a good spirit every single day, the more my spirit is where I want, the more that’s how I stay ready,” Kuminga said.

Kuminga added that inconsistent playing time is nothing new for a player on the verge of restricted free agency. 

This season, he had emerged as one of the team’s top scorers prior to the trade, but had his minutes cut post-Butler deal after returning from a serious ankle injury that sidelined him for over 30 games. 

Kerr praised Kuminga’s attitude and, yes, his ability to stay ready for when his number was called. 

“He’s been preparing every single day, keeping a great attitude,” Kerr said. 

But with Butler’s status for Game 3 on Saturday in San Francisco up in the air, the coach who had been asking Kuminga to “stay ready” since his benching declined to state what exactly the team expects from him going forward. 

Butler had been the No. 1 reason for the Warriors’ turnaround this season, but he was simultaneously Kuminga’s biggest impediment, as the two did not play well in lineups together. 

“We’ll see how it all plays out,” Kerr said. “If Jimmy’s out, we’ll have to rethink everything.”

Steph Curry gave props to the combo forward with high-level athleticism, giving him a quick pep talk before he entered the game. 

“I actually saw him on the bench and gave him a little love,” Curry said. “I knew he was going to get his number called pretty quickly.”

Kuminga had his high and low points against the league’s most physical defense. 

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He made two 3-pointers and flashed the ability to get downhill against a set defense and use his athleticism to blast to the rim. 

But he often lacked touch when he got there, shooting just 2-of-7 in the paint. On top of this, his defense was left something to be desired, and his passing vision in the Warriors’ spread-it-around offense was spotty. 

In other words, it was the same Kuminga who has tantalized the organization with his unique scoring talent, while also perplexing them with his lack of polish in other areas. 

“It’s always been the challenge for him to see the pictures, to understand the intensity that’s out there, and try to be in the right spots defensively, and when he has opportunities to be aggressive on the offensive end, take them,” Curry said.

After being on the outside looking in, Kuminga is suddenly in a position to once again have a pivotal role in the team’s season. 

He says he will be ready. 

 “I’m just going to be ready whenever it is, as long as he’s gonna be out, or if he’s playing, I’m going to be ready no matter what,” Kuminga said. 

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