SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga finally was called off the bench and into action during a 145-127 loss to the Toronto Raptors at Chase Center on Tuesday night.
On the second night of a back-to-back — with the Warriors now having to go forward without Jimmy Butler, who suffered a season-ending ACL tear Monday night — head coach Steve Kerr said he would look more toward his bench depth, including Kuminga who hadn't played in 16 games due to a coach's decision.
Kuminga received a roar from the Chase Center crowd when he subbed into the game to start the second quarter of the contest.
He finished with 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting in 21 minutes. He added five rebounds and two assists. Teammate Buddy Hield led the team in scoring with 25 points off then bench, including a perfect 6-of-6 from deep, in 19 minutes of play.
“JK [Kuminga] been a factor in here," head coach Steve Kerr told reporters. "Really pleased with the way he’s stayed ready and stayed prepared, and he got his opportunity and played really well.”
With Butler out, Kerr said that he would tinker with different lineups on various "trial and error" runs. Kerr told USA TODAY that it's possible Kuminga could even jolt into the starting role.
"Everything’s a possibility right now," Kerr said. “When you have an injury to, not only one of your best players but one of the best players in the league, it just changes everything. The puzzle completely changes. So we will definitely experiment with some different lineups and combinations. One guy effects the other four and so it will be under consideration, for sure.”
How did Jonathan Kuminga play?
The Warriors were down 41-28 after the first quarter before Kuminga was subbed into the game to start the second period.
In his first stint, a little under five minutes, Kuminga missed his only shot attempt: An alley-oop tip-in on a pass from Draymond Green. He was fouled but missed both free throws. He managed to grab two rebounds in his limited action.
His plus/minus was a minus-10 in four minutes and 39 seconds of playing time.
Golden State is looking for a spark from their bench depth after Butler was lost for the season with a torn ACL.
Kerr said after the Warriors' win over the Miami Heat that Kuminga could see the floor following Butler's devastating injury.
"Sure, absolutely," Kerr said responding to a question about Kuminga playing against Toronto.
Warriors trailed 91-63 when Kuminga returned to the game at the 6:12 mark of the third quarter.
He scored 12 points in the period, throwing down a ferocious two-handed slam off an alley-oop pass from Green, a couple of mid-range shots through contact and going the length of the court to make a buzzer-beating layup to end the third.
Golden State trailed 108-94 at the end of three quarters. Kuminga played the remainder of the quarter since subbing in at the 6:12 mark and was a plus-4 after the period.
Kuminga played the entire fourth quarter as his play continued to help the Warriors to cut into that huge double-digit deficit. It was cut to as low as 11 points.
However, the Raptors ran the score back up late and held on to win the game.
The Raptors were led by Immanuel Quickley tied a career-high 40 points to lead all scorers in the game. He shot 11-of-13 from the field, including 7-of-8 from 3-pointers and a perfect 11-of-11 from the free throw line.
Jonathan Kuminga's future with Warriors
With the NBA trade deadline looming on Feb. 5, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. spoke to reporters before Monday night's game, expressing disappointment in losing Butler to injury.
"He was having a great year and obviously that's over now. So we're disappointed as a team, as an organization but most especially individually for Jimmy," Dunleavy said. "He's been so much to this organization since he got here. It's hard to believe he hasn't even been here a year. He's fit in so well, we hate it for him. But the beat goes on, we have to keep going."
There are questions about whether Kuminga can become a focal point of the team's rotation or is still a key trade component. Kuminga reportedly requested for a trade from Golden State last week.
"I think as far as the demand, I'm aware of that," Dunleavy said. "I think in terms of demands, for you to make a demand there needs to be a demand in the market. So we'll see where that goes."
He added: "Always with these guys I tell them I'm willing to work with them. I want to help people out, whether that's JK [Kuminga] or any player on our roster. I'm good with [it], if that's his wishes, trying to figure that out but we have to do what's best for our organization and that's as far as it goes."
However, Dunleavy said with the deadline coming up, he will take the time to evaluate the team.
"I felt pretty good with where we're at ending last night's game in terms of what we need to do. Thought our team was playing well, heading in the right direction," Dunleavy said. "Obviously things have changed so I wanna take a couple weeks here to watch these games and see our team and what we can do better."
Dunleavy still holds Kuminga in high regard and believes he can be an asset as a member of the Warriors, and not just a trade piece.
"He's available every night. I think there's a path and a way for him to help us win games," Dunleavy said. "He knows what that is. If he can do those things, there's no doubt if he can help us."
He added: "Disappointed it hasn't worked out better, but it is what it is. But there's still time left here. He's still on our roster. The trade's been requested but nothing's imminent. Things in this league change in a heartbeat as they did [against Miami]."
Jonathan Kuminga 2025-26 regular-season stats
Here are Kuminga's average statistics so far though the 2025-26 regular season, prior to Tuesday's game against the Raptors:
- Games played: 18
- Minutes: 24.8
- Points: 11.8
- Rebounds: 6.2
- Assists: 2.6
- Steals: 0.3
- Blocks: 0.3
- Field goal %: .431
- 3-point field goal %: .320
- Free throw %: .741
Jonathan Kuminga career stats
These are Kuminga's career averages through five seasons in the NBA, prior to Tuesday's game against the Raptors:
- Games played: 276
- Minutes: 22.2
- Points: 12.5
- Rebounds: 4.2
- Assists: 1.8
- Steals: 0.6
- Blocks: 0.4
- Field goal %: .502
- 3-point field goal %: .331
- Free throw %: .699
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jonathan Kuminga returns to court in Warriors' loss to Raptors
