SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors’ frontcourt depth took another hit this week. The already-shorthanded Golden State will be without Jonathan Kuminga for Monday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks.
Kuminga was added to the team’s injury report Sunday evening after suffering a right foot sprain in Friday’s win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Kuminga said he wasn’t sure when he injured it during the game but recalled playing through some pain. Coach Steve Kerr said Kuminga’s ankle was swollen after the game.
Kuminga was averaging 9.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 15 games (two starts) this month and emerged as a defensive force.
There’s no timeline for when Kuminga, who was in a walking boot Monday, will be cleared to play again.
“We’ll see how long but it’s just one of those things where you don’t want to rush it back and make it worse,” said Kerr, who anticipates to have a better update on Kuminga’s timetable later this week.
Kuminga joins a lengthy list of Warriors who will be inactive Monday as the reigning champs try to extend their season-long win streak to five games.
Andrew Wiggins, JaMychal Green, James Wiseman, Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala will also be shelved against the Hawks. All five of their timelines remain unclear, according to Kerr who did his best to provide updates on all of their various situations during his pre-game availability.
Neither Green nor Wiseman participated in Monday’s shootaround.
Wiseman was receiving treatment for his sprained left ankle that he suffered while playing 3-on-3 Friday morning. Wiseman wasn’t wearing a boot before Monday’s game, though he appeared to be limping. The former No. 2 pick said he’s getting better and has been mainly icing it the last few days.
Meanwhile, Green will miss his seventh consecutive game as he continues to deal with a lower leg infection.
“My understanding is our training staff is not concerned long-term but something has to be remedied,” Kerr said of Green. “[The infection] was serious enough to take him to the hospital to have it addressed.”
It’s been a tough two weeks for Green, who entered the league’s health and safety protocols Dec. 20 before having this infection flare up last week.
Wiggins’ return also remains up in the air. While the Warriors were targeting for Wiggins to come back from a groin injury during this homestand, a non-COVID illness has sidelined the All-Star forward twice in the last week. Monday will be the 14th straight game Wiggins has missed.
“He’s been through a rough, rough patch,” said Kerr, who noted Wiggins would need several practices to get his conditioning back to game speed. “Hopefully that won’t last too long and we’ll get him on the practice court in the next couple of days.”
While he was at it, Kerr also gave an update on Iguodala, who has yet to play a game this season.
Iguodala continues to make progress in his ramp-up to game action. He scrimmaged against the Warriors G League team at Chase Center Monday morning.
His timeline, along with Wiseman and Green’s, remains unclear. And Curry is expected to have his partially dislocated left shoulder re-assessed in the next week.
With so many players out, the Warriors recalled Ryan Rollins from the G League Monday morning. Patrick Baldwin Jr., who dazzled in his extended minutes against the Jazz, had already been with the team for added depth.
Source: www.mercurynews.com