The Warriors could be getting some reinforcements by the end of the road trip.
Coach Steve Kerr joined 95.7 The Game’s “Damon & Ratto” for his bi-weekly appearance on Wednesday and gave an update on a host of injured Dubs. After visiting the White House on Tuesday, it was back to business as usual on Wednesday.
Kerr said that forwards Jonathan Kuminga (right foot sprain) and JaMychal Green (right lower leg infection) both scrimmaged on Wednesday as they try to come back from their respective injuries.
“We had a practice in Washington D.C. (Wednesday) afternoon before flying to Boston,” Kerr told hosts Damon Bruce and Ray Ratto. “JK and JaMychal both scrimmaged. We had a 3-on-3 with some of the guys who don’t play as much and those two guys just coming back from injury. They were rusty as you’d expect. But it was great to see them on the floor. They looked healthy. There’s a chance that maybe they could play (Friday) in Cleveland. I doubt they would play (Thursday).”
Green initially missed a stretch of games in the NBA’s health and safety protocols before getting stricken by his infection. In all, Green has missed the past 13 games and hasn’t appeared in a contest since Dec. 18.
Kuminga was just settling into a rotation role as a defensive stopper when he suffered his injury on Dec. 30 and now he’s missed the past seven games. The Warriors could severely use both players to shore up their frontcourt depth. Andre Iguodala will also miss his third straight game Thursday with right hip soreness.
Golden State is still monitoring the health of Klay Thompson’s legs closely too. The veteran guard was a last-minute scratch against the Orlando Magic on Jan. 7 with left knee soreness. He’s yet to appear in back-to-backs since returning last January, but Kerr said that remains a goal for Klay.
“I talked to (director of sports medicine and performance) Rick Celebrini) about that the other day,” Kerr said. “Given that Klay missed a game last week with knee discomfort, we’re gonna be careful. But we do think that there’s going to come a time this season where Klay could play back-to-back games. We’re just trying to be very careful and make sure we keep all the guys in a good place for the long haul. That requires constant care from the performance team and communication. We just figure it out as we go.”
Klay will be available Thursday, but the Warriors will still be a bit short-handed in the frontcourt against the Boston Celtics.
“Playing in Boston is one of my favorite games of the year,” Kerr said. “It’s definitely extra special that it’s a Finals rematch.”
