SAN FRANCISCO – With the season on the line, Warriors coach Steve Kerr is open to exploring all possibilities for Game 7 in Houston on Sunday night.
So does that mean Jonathan Kuminga is an option against the stingy Rockets defense in the final game of the series?
Perhaps.
“One-hundred percent, he’s on the table,” Kerr said, adding, “Up 3-1, things are going well. Then obviously last two games have gone very poorly. We have to assess everything. Lineup combinations, starters, all of that we have to assess.”
Kuminga, a 6-foot-9 power forward, has been a healthy scratch for four of the six games in the series and out of the rotation since the last game of the regular season.
In this series against the Rockets, Kerr has shown he is not averse to switching things up.
He moved Buddy Hield into the starting lineup in Game 3 in place of Moses Moody and replaced Brandin Podziemski with Gary Payton II in Game 6.
Kuminga could provide help on the boards (4.6 rebounds per game) and a much-needed credible driving threat next to Jimmy Butler and Steph Curry.
The wing had a 41.4% free throw rate, the second-highest frequency on the team next to Butler.
In a series where Golden State has struggled to generate non-Butler free-throw attempts – a paltry 54 in six games – Kuminga’s ability to get to the line and generate easy points could be an antidote for the Rockets zone.
He proved during the regular season he is capable of putting up big numbers.
Kuminga averaged 15.3 points per game in 47 appearances during the season, but missed 30-plus games with a severe ankle injury.
Once he returned, Jimmy Butler had entrenched himself on the team. The two did not play well together, with Kuminga’s isolation-heavy offense bogging down the offense by operating in the same spaces Butler wanted to attack from.
With Butler routinely logging high minutes as the season wound to a close and the page turned to the postseason, Kuminga was sent to the bench.
When Butler was injured in Game 2 and had to miss Game 3 with a bruised pelvis, Kuminga was asked to fill in, and had uneven results.
He shot 4 of 12 for 11 points in the Game 2 loss and started but only played 17 minutes in Game 3, finishing with seven points.
Once Butler came back, Kuminga returned to the bench, where he has remained.
Would he be ready for Game 7?
“Yeah, he cut out for it,” Draymond Green said. “He’s cut out for whatever we throw at him. He built right, the right way, for that.”
Should Kuminga play in Game 7, it could be the last time he wears a Warriors uniform. The 22-year-old will be a restricted free agent this offseason.
After playing in Game 3, Kuminga said he has always “stayed ready” for his opportunity.
He might have a chance to prove it on Sunday with the season on the line.
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