SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors avoided the injury scare of one of their brightest young players on Monday. Jonathan Kuminga was seen training on Tuesday with thick tape around his right thumb and wrist and did not use his right shooting hand during a post-practice 3-on-3 session attended by players and coaches.
However, Warriors coach Steve Kerr says the sight is nothing to worry about. Kuminga stuck his thumb on the backboard to either grab a rebound or block a shot from Kerr’s memory and missed the contact portion of Tuesday’s practice.
“He said he didn’t feel anything when it happened because of the adrenaline,” Kerr said Tuesday. “It became sore overnight. It’s nothing serious, he’ll be fine.”
Kuminga is expected to make a big leap in his third professional season and gave a taste of that belief in Saturday night’s season opener. The forward, who recently turned 21, scored a game-high 24 points on 8 of 14 shooting and added four assists. He made 4 of 8 from 3-point range and 4 of 5 at the free throw line.
Rebounding continues to be an important focus in Kuminga’s development and carries over to the court. Kuminga led both teams with eight rebounds, all of which came on defense.
Veteran point guard Chris Paul also had to sit out the contact portion of Tuesday’s practice as a precautionary day of rest. He played 13 minutes on Saturday and finished with six points, five assists and four rebounds in his Warriors debut. Kerr said Paul had a “great workout” on Tuesday before sitting out the rest of the day.
The Warriors had two consecutive days of high-intensity training and fighting. Wednesday will be an easy day and Kerr doesn’t expect any restrictions for Kuminga or Paul.
Both are expected to play in the Warriors’ second preseason game against the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena on Friday night.
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