Steve Kerr Seemingly Ignoring Jonathan Kuminga Confirms Worst Scenario as Fresh Intel on Jimmy Butler Injury Drops

Jonathan Kuminga finally got his chance and he blew it. When Jimmy Butler got hurt on Wednesday, Steve Kerr had no option but to call JK’s number, who had three straight DNPs prior to that night. As expected, the youngster looked rusty, finishing with only 11 points on 4 of 12 shooting. But everyone expected the forward to be more prepared for tonight’s Game 3, realizing that Butler could get sidelined due to the pelvis and deep glute muscle contusion. However, Kuminga failed to answer the call yet again.

Despite the home court advantage, JK couldn’t shake off his rust and struggled all night. He somehow played even worse than he did in Game 2, scoring only 7 points on merely seven shot attempts. Fortunately, his disappointing performance did not ruin the Warriors’ night, as they ended up beating the Rockets anyway. Thanks to several other players stepping up. After the big win, Steve Kerr credited every key contributor, seemingly ignoring Kuminga, “Buddy flipped it. Gary Payton flipped it. Both those guys. But everybody contributed you know Quinten had 12 rebounds, we had Moses come in and make a huge 3 in the second half.”

Steve Kerr: “This is what the playoffs are about. Injuries and guys stepping up.” pic.twitter.com/PDojnu6wKE

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) April 27, 2025

With Butler out, the Bay Area team needed a secondary scoring option besides Stephen Curry. Buddy Hield filled that role by dropping 17 points, with five three-pointers. Meanwhile, GPII also had solid 16 points off the bench when he was brought in as a replacement for out of form Kuminga. So, it’s understandable why Kerr highlighted their performance. But him not mentioning JK in the postgame presser raises massive concern about the forward’s future in this series.

While Kuminga was on the court, the Warriors kept the game competitive but were unable to gain an edge. So, Kerr benched the forward in the final quarter, bringing in Payton. And the strategy worked, as they outscored the Rockets 35-22 in that period, sealing the game. So, JK might not get another chance in Kerr’s rotation going forward knowing how good they are without him. Especially if Butler makes a comeback on Monday.

(Developing Story)

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