Why Kerr believes Butler is ‘perfect’ player for Kuminga to emulate

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Why Kerr believes Butler is ‘perfect’ player for Kuminga to emulate originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

When Jonathan Kuminga returns to the court from his ankle injury, he’ll have a new Warriors teammate to learn from — and coach Steve Kerr couldn’t be more excited about what the youngster can take away from veteran forward Jimmy Butler.

Golden State acquired Butler one day before the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline, just over a month after Kuminga sustained a sprained right ankle in the Warriors’ game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Jan. 4. With the 22-year-old participating in his first full-court scrimmage during Monday’s practice, Kerr told reporters on Tuesday how he’s making Kuminga’s transition back into a rolling Warriors team as smooth as possible.

“Watched some film [today] … I just wanted to touch base,” Kerr said before the Warriors’ game against the Charlotte Hornets at Chase Center. “[We watched] his film, but also showing some of Jimmy’s stuff, what Jimmy’s doing right now because I think he’s the perfect guy for JK to emulate. What makes Jimmy special is that he doesn’t try to be special. He just plays fundamental basketball … I mean, he never turns it over, he just makes a simple play over and over again.

“And I want JK to to to learn some of that. He’s so explosive. It’s always hardest for guys who are the most talented to make decisions because they’ve got too many options at their disposal, so I’m hoping that he can learn from Jimmy and that Jimmy will spend some time with him. JK, before he got hurt, was the best I’ve ever seen him play. So he was already on a really good track, and it’s just a reminder these are kind of the things we want.”

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In 32 games before his injury this season, Kuminga was averaging 16.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 26 minutes on 45.9-percent shooting from the field and 34.5 percent from 3-point range. And while the Warriors have yet to set a return date for Kuminga, Butler is looking forward to mentoring Golden State’s rising star.

“I figure…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/why-kerr-believes-butler-perfect-191847643.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2025-02-25 19:18:00

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