MINNEAPOLIS – Jonathan Kuminga has had many twists and turns during the 2024-25 season.
He was a high-scoring reserve with oodles of potential, then became an injured Warrior wrapped up in the team’s midseason malaise.
After missing 31 games, the young forward returned from an ankle injury to form an uneasy pairing with trade-deadline acquisition Jimmy Butler, then was out of the rotation entirely down the stretch and for much of the Warriors’ first-round, seven-game series against Houston.
Since Steph Curry went down with a hamstring injury in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals against Minnesota, the Warriors have needed Kuminga, 22, to score to help fill the gaping hole Curry’s absence has created.
Now, the Warriors could add one more label to Kuminga’s eclectic collection.
Savior.
With the Warriors facing elimination on Wednesday in Minnesota, down 3-1 in the best-of-seven series, they could use a big game from the player who had been glued to the bench just a week or so ago.
Kuminga characterizes himself as just one of the guys, but he understands the stakes Wednesday.
“I mean, the next game is going to be about do or die, because we need that,” Kuminga said. “If we get that one, everything is going to be settled down. It’s a big one.”
Kuminga has played in elimination games before – including Game 7s at Sacramento in 2023 and Houston on May 4 – but has never had such a featured role.
On a roster that has – to put it kindly – struggled to generate any sort of watchable or reliable offense with Curry sidelined, Kuminga has been a revelation.
He has scored 18, 30 and 23 points in the past three games, an output that does not surprise his veteran teammates.
How has Kuminga, the seventh pick in the 2021 draft, done it?
“He’s putting pressure on the rim, getting out in transition, attacking the seams when he can,” Draymond Green said. “I’ve always said he’s a special talent. Give the ball to him in his hands and let him figure it out, that’s what I expect him to do.”
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Perhaps Kuminga’s greatest strength as of late has been his decisiveness.
Gone is the tentative player who would hold the ball while looking to pass to his more established teammates before wildly throwing up a haphazard shot.
In his place is a tornado of athleticism, a 6-foot-9 blur who drew 12 free throws against a Minnesota team that seemingly bottled up each Warrior but him.
In a matchup that often sees him encountering four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert at the rim and all-defense lock Jaden McDaniels on the perimeter, Kuminga has been able to get anywhere he wants.
Now, the ultimate test will be to turn those gaudy point totals and breathtaking moves into a Warriors victory, and buy time for a possible return for Curry on Sunday in Game 6, if Golden State can extend the series.
“We’ve just got to go out there and figure out how to get it,” Kuminga said.