Warriors rookie Jonathan Kuminga exited in the second quarter of Monday’s 113-98 win over the Sacramento Kings with back tightness and didn’t return. It cut short the second start of his NBA career after just 6:29 of playing time, as he went 1-for-4 from the field with two rebounds and a steal.
Coach Steve Kerr joined 95.7 The Game’s “Damon & Ratto” for his weekly appearance Tuesday and discussed Kuminga. Though he didn’t provide a specific update on Kuminga’s status with the team enjoying an off-day Tuesday, Kerr sounded optimistic about the 19-year-old. You can listen to the full interview below.
“I’m not worried about Jonathan, at all,” Kerr said. “He’s a physical marvel. What happens though, when you’re 19 and you’re playing in the NBA for the 1st time, you have to figure out how to take care of yourself. You have to figure out what’s the difference between an injury and a tweak. I don’t think I knew any of that stuff until probably my junior year of college.”
With Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole out while dealing with the NBA’s health and safety protocols and Kuminga’s sudden departure, other players had to step up in Monday’s victory. Otto Porter Jr. chipped in 12 points off the bench, but his four blocks set a new career high.
Porter signed a veteran minimum deal with the Warriors this past offseason after being limited to just 42 games the previous two seasons. He’s averaging 7.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and shooting 39.4 percent from 3-point land while being lauded for his versatility on defense. Most importantly, he’s played in 26 of his team’s 31 games.
“I think the biggest surprise, honestly, is that he’s been healthy,” Kerr said. “It had been a rough couple of years for Otto. He has not been healthy. As soon as he signed his contract in the summer, he was in our training room that week and every day since. He put in the work and it’s paid off for him.
“We knew he was a good player. It was mainly, we were just trying to figure if he was going to be available and healthy. It’s just been great to see. He’s really been a fun player to coach and play with.”
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But Monday night’s game was all about Draymond Green and his son DJ. Green recorded a 16-point, 11-rebound, 10-assist triple-double as the Warriors moved to 30-1 all-time in the regular season when he achieves the feat.
“No doubt that we want Draymond aggressive all the time, whether we’re fully healthy or not,” Kerr said. “The more aggressive Draymond plays offensively, the better we are. But I think with guys out – in this case Andrew and Jordan – what it means is everyone has to be aggressive.”
Meanwhile, 4-year-old DJ stole the show as a helper for Eric Housen and the Warriors equipment team on the sideline.
“We were worried that DJ was going to yell at the officials a lot,” Kerr joked.
