DALLAS – Jonathan Kuminga’s return to the Warriors rotation might have been cut short on Thursday night.
During a timeout, the Warriors’ forward walked back to the locker room with team athletic trainer Drew Yoder with 3:52 left in the second quarter of the Warriors’ game against the host Mavericks.
At the 4:28 mark, Kuminga appeared to roll his left ankle and buckle his knee on a fastbreak layup that led to a foul on Brandon Williams. Kuminga briefly sat down in a courtside chair on the baseline before getting up and walking to the free throw line.
He shot two free throws, and then played the next three possessions before being subbed out. Kuminga then walked back to the locker room under his own power.
The Warriors later diagnosed Kuminga with left knee soreness, and said he would not return.
Kuminga, 23, had requested a trade earlier in the month and was presumed to be out of the rotation entirely after not playing in 16 consecutive games.
He had begun the year as a starter, being in the first five during the team’s initial 12 games after signing a two-year deal and ending his restricted free agency. But a combination of poor play and middling team results led to coach Steve Kerr moving Kuminga out of the starting lineup.
Kuminga then saw a combination of injuries and uneven performances lead to lessened playing time before eventually falling out of the rotation altogether.
However, after Jimmy Butler tore his ACL against the Heat on Monday, Kuminga suddenly found himself back in the team’s immediate plans.
He responded by scoring 20 points in 21 minutes against Toronto on Tuesday’s loss to the Raptors.
Before exiting the Mavericks game, Kuminga had scored 10 points in nine minutes and made all three of his shot attempts and each of his four free throws. But after Kuminga went back to the locker room, and was not among the players who warmed up after the halftime break.
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