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Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga still ‘weeks away’ from ankle injury return

Originally posted on NBA on ClutchPoints
By Jaren Kawada | Last updated Jan 24, 2025 5:17 PM ET

If the Golden State Warriors are going to right the ship anytime soon, it will have to be without Jonathan Kuminga. The fourth-year forward is still nursing the ankle injury he suffered against the Grizzlies on Jan. 5 and is not close to making a return.

Three weeks after leaving the Chase Center on crutches, Kuminga is still “weeks away” from returning, according to The Athletic’s Anthony Slater. Steve Kerr deemed the injury “serious” as soon as it happened but has yet to give an estimated return date.

“Jonathan Kuminga remains weeks away from a return,” Slater tweeted. “Ankle still wrapped and he hasn’t advanced to any real court work. This was a bad sprain. Could be talking post All-Star break. He’s been around and in positive spirits.”

Slater’s tweet comes days after Kerr said Kuminga is “nowhere close” to returning in an interview with 95.7 The Game radio.

Despite coming off the bench, Kuminga was in the midst of a career year before he went down. The former lottery pick is currently averaging career-highs across the board, including 16.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.

Without Kuminga in the lineup, Golden State has given additional minutes to Kyle Anderson, Gui Santos and Moses Moody. Moody has seemingly benefited the most from the expanded opportunity, reaching double figures in seven of his first 11 games in January.

Warriors health issues rise amid Jonathan Kuminga ankle injury absence

Jan 4, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) drives to the basket against the Memphis Grizzlies in the second quarter at Chase Center. David Gonzales-Imagn Images

With Kuminga out for the foreseeable future, the Warriors’ injury luck has only worsened. Draymond Green and Anderson both picked up naggig injuries that have kept them on the sidelines. Green’s calf injury is seemingly worse, keeping him out of the team’s last three games.

The injuries have limited Golden State’s frontcourt to six healthy players. Kerr has been forced to dig deep into his bench and dust off two-way rookie Quinten Post and scarcely used second-year forward Gui Santos.

The instability, along with other arising issues, has led to subpar performances in January. The Warriors have gone just 5-6 since New Year’s Day, dropping them to 22-22 through 44 games. Their current record is a far cry from the 12-3 start they embarked on through the first two months of the year.

This article first appeared on NBA on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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