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The Warriors’ season shifted from mid and mediocre to an exciting, dangerous team once they added Jimmy Butler at the NBA trade deadline. More than a month after his team debut, the Warriors are bringing in another piece that should increase their odds for the playoffs and more with one month left in the regular season.
Jonathan Kuminga, after missing the last 31 games to a badly sprained right ankle, is expected to make his return Thursday night against the Sacramento Kings at Chase Center. Steve Kerr isn’t going to mess with momentum, meaning Kuminga will come off the bench in short spurts. In his return, and especially as he gets his legs back under him, everybody will want to see how Butler and Kuminga fit together as part of a potential closing lineup.
Coaches have shown Kuminga film of how he can learn from Butler. Clips highlight the many ways Butler makes the game easier for himself and his teammates, keeping the ball moving but also using his strength and smarts to get to the free-throw line. Those are all traits Kuminga can learn from and continue to grow as an overall player.
Yet somebody else who Kuminga hasn’t played with outside of a few seconds might be just as important. Can rookie center Quinten Post help unlock the best of Kuminga?
Kerr tried going big to begin the season, starting Kuminga, Draymond Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis together with Steph Curry and Andrew Wiggins in the backcourt. Despite the Warriors’ record, Kuminga at small forward didn’t work. The three-man grouping of Kuminga, Green and Jackson-Davis played seven games together and had a -0.8 net rating with a 112.6 offensive rating and 113.5 defensive rating in 38 minutes. That’s where Post, who has overtaken Jackson-Davis’ spot in the rotation, comes into play.
“I think me and JK will be a great fit together,” Post said to reporters Wednesday at Warriors practice. “Just adds another athletic guy out there with size, length. I think he’s going to help us out on defense, adding another body to the mix. And then offensively he’s just somebody who puts a lot of pressure on the…
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Publish date : 2025-03-13 12:46:00
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