The Golden State Warriors may have suffered a Game 2 defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center on Thursday, but the production of young duo Jonathan Kuminga and Trayce Jackson-Davis at least inspired some positives from the 117-93 loss.
Kuminga delivered his best performance for a while, having hit the 18-point mark for just the third time since his return from a long-term ankle injury on March 13. After being out of the rotation for six of an eight-game span in recent weeks, it was a statement performance from the young forward who has left Steve Kerr and the Warriors with an obvious answer in relation to their starting lineup for Game 3.
Jonathan Kuminga was a rare positive for the Warriors on Thursday
Rookie center Quinten Post was elevated into the starting lineup without Stephen Curry on Thursday, but that backfired terribly as Golden State quickly found themselves down 13-0. Very little went right for the visitors in a woeful opening quarter, including for Kuminga who was a -10 in less than three minutes.
However, it was a much brighter second period for the 22-year-old who was a perfect 4-of-4 from the floor and had eight points in less than six minutes. That was enough for Kerr to start Kuminga instead of Post to open the second-half, with that decision paying immediate dividends as the Warriors quickly cut a 17-point half-time deficit to seven.
Kuminga had another seven points in that span, including a highlight dunk on Rudy Gobert after beating the 4x Defensive Player of the Year off the dribble out of the corner.
Kuminga's 18 points were both a team-high and an equal playoff career-high, having come on an efficient 8-of-11 shooting from the floor while adding five rebounds in his 26 minutes. More importantly though, the former seventh overall pick declared post-game that he'd found his confidence again in a potentially huge sign for Golden State moving forward in this series.
If there's one thing Kerr and the Warriors can take from the 24-point defeat, it's that Kuminga is the obvious answer to fill in as a starter for Game 3 at the very least. While Kerr has previously publicly declared that Kuminga, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green don't work together, that trio (plus Brandin Podziemski and Buddy Hield) held a 40.5 net rating in the 11 minutes they played together in Game 2.
Kuminga's redemption and those lineup numbers gives the Warriors some belief heading back home, and suggests that they're still a chance in this series despite Curry's devastating hamstring injury.