Warriors have a Jonathan Kuminga problem that will be solved by opposing teams

Jonathan Kuminga returned to the Golden State Warriors in fine fashion on Thursday night at Chase Center, recording 18 points and three rebounds in only 20 minutes as the hosts completed a dominant 130-104 victory over the Sacramento Kings.

Ahead of his return, there was plenty of speculation on just how Kuminga would re-integrate to a surging Warriors team that had won 12 of their previous 14 games without the former seventh overall pick.

Opposing teams may actually solve the Warriors' Jonathan Kuminga problem

Thursday's return may have been more seamless than even the biggest optimists could have predicted. Kuminga looked bouncy and at his athletic best, while playing his role perfectly in taking advantage of the defensive attention thrown towards Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler.

It was actually the Sacramento defense that solved any problem that Golden State may have had with Kuminga's return. The biggest concern was how he'd fit in behind two stars in Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, rather than having been the second go-to scorer prior to his injury where he averaged over 24 points and eight rebounds in a six-game period.

But rather than some limited offensive opportunity, the Kings consciousness of Butler and particularly Curry meant that Kuminga and the rest of his teammamtes couldn't help but to get involved.

The 22-year-old's 18 points in 20 minutes came on an efficient 7-of-10 shooting from the floor, with all of his made field-goals coming from inside the paint which included a series of eye-catching dunks in the final period.

ESPN analyst Tim Legler was scathing of the Kings defense on his All NBA podcast, questioning Doug Christie's decision to load up on Curry which allowed Kuminga and others to dominate throughout the game.

“I just thought it was kind of weak, to be honest with you, on Sacramento's part. I just, I don't like watching NBA games like that. What are you doing? You're denying a guy with a full face guarding him. Don't know where the ball is. I mean, come on, man. Play actual NBA-level defense," Legler exclaimed.

Kuminga's talent and athleticism makes him a great release valve for when teams defend Curry and Butler like Sacramento did. The real question mark is on Kuminga's effectiveness will come when defenses choose to play Curry and Butler more straight up, which of course is a major risk in itself for them given the greatness of those two players.

The biggest positive is that the Warriors now have options, and that opposing teams will now have to live and choose with risky defensive strategies in a way they simply couldn't prior to the Butler trade.