The Golden State Warriors have been delivered a cruel injury blow ahead of their meeting with the Sacramento Kings on Sunday, with Jonathan Kuminga set to spend a significant amount of time on the sidelines due to ankle sprain.
The young forward left Saturday's win over the Memphis Grizzlies after an awkward fall in the second-quarter, and is now set to miss at least 11 games in what Steve Kerr described as a "brutal" injury update for Kuminga and the Warriors.
Golden State announced on Sunday that Kuminga will be re-evaluated in three weeks, putting a major dent in the team's plans of a resurgence that's started with two-straight wins to bring in the new year.
3 Warriors who must step up in Jonathan Kuminga's absence
Kuminga had been enjoying the best stretch of his career, leading the Warriors in scoring over the previous six games before the unfortunate injury on Saturday. The 22-year-old had been averaging 24.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists on over 52% shooting from the floor in the last six, with another promising start of 13 first-half points against the Grizzlies.
As Kerr alluded to in his post-game press conference on Saturday, Golden State's depth is built to withstand this type of injury loss -- even if it comes in the form of the team's second-leading scorer. Some players will now see increased opportunity, so let's look at three individuals who need to step up in Kuminga's absence.
1. Kyle Anderson
Kyle Anderson was already a beneficiary of Kuminga's injury on Saturday, playing over 20 minutes for the first time in nearly two months. The veteran forward played over 10 minutes in the fourth-quarter, putting in a valuable performance that showcased why so many fans have been perplexed by his place outside the rotation in recent weeks.
The 31-year-old is now expected to be an incredibly important player for Golden State, and while he doesn't provide anywhere near the same scoring as Kuminga, he will bring a different skillset to the power forward spot that Steve Kerr will start to rely upon.
2. Andrew Wiggins
Andrew Wiggins had begun taking a more supplementary third scoring role behind Kuminga and Stephen Curry, but the 2022 All-Star will need to become a more important factor offensively if the Warriors wish to stay afloat.
Fortunately Wiggins provided that on Saturday, delivering 18 third-quarter points and 22 in the second-half to lead Golden State to victory without Curry or Kuminga. Not only will the Warriors lean on him more from a scoring perspective, but Wiggins' sheer athleticism will also be important given the franchise just lost their best athlete to injury.
3. Moses Moody
Along with Anderson, Kerr also pointed to Moses Moody as the other player who might benefit most from Kuminga's absence. While he's seen his fellow fourth-year lottery pick thrive over recent games, Moody has been stuck in an inconsistent role that hasn't been helped by a knee concern.
The former 14th overall pick only played nine minutes against the Grizzlies on Saturday, yet his shooting and scoring ability could now become crucial with Kuminga on the sidelines.