Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors etched out a 128-120 win vs the Oklahoma City Thunder last night. That was their third straight win in a row and 26-24 record has the Warriors at fifth in the Western Conference. After the game last night, Golden Sate fans took to twitter to complain about the lack of minutes that Jonathan Kuminga is getting. Since his return from an ankle injury just over a week ago, his minutes per game have decreased.
In the Warriors win vs OKC last night, Kuminga played on 12 minutes had four points, three rebounds, and one assist. He’d seen an increased role when Andrew Wiggins was out, but it’s been tough for him to see consistent minutes lately.
Kuminga even got a start last Tuesday for the Warriors while Wiggins was out. California Sports Betting sites have the Warriors at (+900) to win the Finals this season.
Starting off the road trip with a W ✔️ pic.twitter.com/kz1mMQDBtY
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) January 31, 2023
Jonathan Kuminga’s playing time has been decreased since Andrew Wiggins’ return
In 38 games played this season with seven starts, he’s averaging (8.2) points, (3.1) rebounds, and (1.8) assists per game. He was out from 1/2 to 1/19 with an ankle injury, but still was playing 20 minutes per game or more since coming back. However, Wiggins return yesterday significantly decreased his role.
Kuminga had been playing at least 23 minutes per game in four of his last five games and Wiggins played in two of those games. It’s clear that Steve Kerr does not use Kuminga in the rotation as much when Wiggins is playing and fully healthy. Even with his limited production last night, he still made an impact on the defensive end.
In the first quarter he played some excellent defensive possessions against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and was a big reason why he went 1-8 in the first 12 minutes. Kevon Looney and Donte DiVincenzo both came off the bench and played over 20 minutes. Some of Kuminga’s minutes could have been lost in Looney and DiVincenzo’s increased minutes.
It’s hard to see a big role on the Warriors when you’re then eighth or ninth man in the rotation. All five of the Warriors starters play at least 31 minutes per game.
