Jonathan Kuminga may have to endure a lengthier road to recovering from his ankle sprain than he’d like. The Golden State Warriors’ surging young star injured his ankle in warmups prior to the team’s 121-113 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.
Warriors holding breath over injured Jonathan Kuminga
Per The Athletic’s Anthony Slater, Kuminga’s ailment was graded in a discouraging light by Warriors head coach Steve Kerr in the aftermath of the game:
“Steve Kerr said Jonathan Kuminga’s ankle sprain was ‘significant.’ It won’t be a “day-to-day” injury. MRI and an update expected tomorrow. He will be out vs Kings and likely longer,” Slater published on X following the win.
Kuminga suffered nasty pregame ankle sprain in Memphis
Kuminga was getting reps in moments before tip-off in Memphis. As Bleacher Report shared on YouTube, he went for an explosive euro step and came down hard on his twisted right ankle before being able to finish at the rim. The Democratic Republic of the Congo native came up limping and left the floor. He did manage to play 15 minutes off the bench in the victory, scoring 13 points on 4-6 shooting from the field, but it appears likely that he’ll ride the pine for some time.
This comes at a terrible time for Golden State. The Warriors picked up their second straight win and third in their last four contests after going 3-12 in their 15 games prior to that stretch. That precipitous dropoff from their blistering 12-3 start to the campaign raised many questions surrounding the team’s playoff and title chances, and also prompted the front office to pull off a trade for star point guard Dennis Schroder in the midst of that cold spell.
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Warriors hope to get their budding star back soon
Kuminga has been a key piece for the Warriors all year long. The 22-year-old is averaging a career-high 16.8 points, five rebounds and 2.2 assists per game on 45.9 percent shooting from the field for the Dubs through 32 games played. His electric athleticism, exceptional ability to convert at the rim and his developing outside shot has Golden State high on their young talent’s chances to be a future All-Star and their next franchise pillar.
That being said, word on Kuminga’s status will take shape in the coming hours, as they have the second game of their back-to-back to prepare for against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night.
