SAN FRANCISCO – Jonathan Kuminga’s mysterious knee injury could be far more serious than initially believed.
The Warriors’ starting small forward has missed the past five games with knee tendinitis, during which time he has been listed as “day-to-day” by coach Steve Kerr. The coaching staff had hoped he would go full speed on Sunday, but that was not the case.
“We did live drill work, and he barely did any of that, and he’s not moving well,” Kerr said after practice at Chase Center on Sunday afternoon. “The training staff is working with him, and I have no idea when he’s going to play.”
He later added, “It’s obviously worse than we thought.”
Kerr said imaging could be an option as the team tries to figure out the severity of Kuminga’s injury.
“He’s not moving that well, so I can’t tell you what the outlook is,” Kerr said when pressed for more details. “I think JK could tell you that better than I could. He needs to feel better and be able to move better before we put him out there.”
Kuminga, who is averaging 13.8 points and a career-high 6.6 rebounds per game in 12 games, has not played since the first half of the game in San Antonio on Nov. 12, when he exited shortly before halftime.
This is not the first time Kuminga has missed a long stretch of games. He was out for 31 straight last season after severely injuring his ankle.
Kuminga’s athleticism on the wing has been sorely missed during the Warriors’ 3-game losing skid, and his rebounding ability is something Golden State will likely be in severe need of this week.
Al Horford will miss the next week with sciatica and will undergo an MRI, while Kerr added that Draymond Green could sit out Monday’s game against the Jazz with an ailing foot. The Warriors later said Green also underwent an MRI.
“He kind of sprained his foot the other night, when (Blazers center Donovan) Clingan landed on him,” Kerr said.
Even with Green and Horford, the Warriors (9-9) have struggled to grab rebounds. The team was outrebounded 52-32 in Friday’s loss to the Blazers, and ranks just 22nd in boards per game.
Golden State is in the midst of a five-game homestand.
Durant out
Former Warriors star Kevin Durant will not play in the Bay Area on Wednesday night. The Rockets forward was reported out for “family matter” per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Durant played three seasons for Golden State from 2016-19, during which time the team reached three NBA Finals and won two of them. Durant was named Finals MVP after both victories.
He is averaging 24.6 points per game this season.
