The Golden State Warriors held off the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday but they had to do it with a shorthanded frontline. Starting alongside Draymond Green was Trayce Jackson-Davis, who was inserted by Steve Kerr in place of the injured Jonathan Kuminga.
Kuminga has missed four straight games due to a knee injury. While he’s still listed as day-to-day, Kerr’s pre-game comments on Tuesday will get Warriors fans excited for the team’s next outing.
“He (Kuminga) won’t play (tonight). He’ll play in Houston (on Thursday),” Kerr said, per Warriors on NBCS. “So he hadn’t done anything because of the knee for the last week and he’s feeling a lot better. He just got a really good 3-on-3 scrimmage in. That’s the first work he’s done since he’s been out so Rick (Celebrini) felt strongly that he needed to get a couple days work in before he’s ready to play.”
Jonathan Kuminga’s impact as a starter
Kuminga has been a key piece for the Warriors this year. With Averages of 16.3 points and 4.8 rebounds a game, the 21-year-old forward is one of the biggest reasons why Golden State is clinging on to the last play-in spot.
Ever since Kuminga was paired up with Draymond Green at the frontline, things have started going well for the Warriors. Out of Golden State’s different 2-man combinations on the floor, the pair averaging the most points minus opponent points is the Kuminga-Green tandem (+11.5 in over 670 minutes played together this season). Kuminga’s youth, athleticism and energy alongside Green’s experience, IQ and hard-nosed play have allowed them to match up well against much bigger frontlines.
The Warriors also lead the league in rebounds per game (46.8). While Kevon Looney, Trayce Jackson-Davis and even Brandin Podziemski can be heavily attributed to this, topping the rebounding ranks is impressive considering how Kuminga and Green, the team’s starting bigs, stand no taller than 6’7 each.
The Warriors’ next game will be pivotal
On the subject of the team’s upcoming bout against the Houston Rockets, it will be a very crucial one. With seven games left in the regular season, the Warriors (41-34) are currently fending off the Rockets (38-37) to keep hold of their 10th-place standing in the Western Conference.
While Houston may be coming off a two-game losing streak, they’ve won eight out of their last 10. In simpler terms, the young Rockets are not an opponent to take lightly. In the absence of an injured Alperen Sengun, rookie Amen Thompson has been thrust into Houston’s starting lineup, meaning they’re also playing small with Jabari Smith Jr. as the only big. Houston’s 1 to 4 can all put the ball on the floor so the Dubs definitely need Kuminga’s versatility back.
The Rockets have younger legs, but at the end of the day, they lack Golden State’s experience. After all, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green will be lacing up. Age may be catching up to them, but the championship mettle is still there. Knowing what’s at stake, it’ll surely be a pivotal slugfest on Thursday…but that’s nothing new to the trio.
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