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As Golden State Warriors star Jimmy Butler suffered a pelvic injury off a hard fall early in the Game 2 loss to the Houston Rockets, there are fans worried about the immediate playing status of the newcomer. Trying to fill in the void for Butler, Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga returned to action after not playing in the play-in tournament and Game 1, and Stephen Curry has a clear message for the young star.
In the 26 minutes he played on Wednesday night, which is the most logged since the 28 minutes on March 17 against the Denver Nuggets, he scored 11 points on four of 12 shooting from the field to go along with three rebounds and two assists. Curry would say Kuminga was “aggressive” and how the 22-year-0ld wants to “knock the rust off” according to KNBR.
“I thought he played aggressive, I know he probably wants to play better and knock the rust off,” Curry said. “But as soon as Jimmy [Butler] went down, I actually saw him on the bench and gave him a little love, and knew he was going to get his number called pretty quickly. And that is the nature of this league, we talked about all the time. It's just hard to know and predict when it's going to be, but for him to come out and play with energy and aggressive, with aggressiveness, and just understand he can impact the game, and he's going to have to have a huge part in what we do.”
Steph Curry talked about what he wants to see out of Kuminga if he gets his number called again:
“The challenge has always been for him to ‘see the pictures,' understand the intensity that's out there, try to be in the right spots defensively, and then when he has opportunities… pic.twitter.com/9GYlrL9GZ0
— KNBR (@KNBR) April 24, 2025
Stephen Curry on the Warriors trusting Jonathan Kuminga
As Kumings has been brutally honest on his role with the Warriors that has changed throughout the season, there's no doubt that he could see extended playing time with Butler's injury. While Butler's status for Game 3 remains to be seen, Curry still believes that Kuminga needs to “see the pictures” in regards to understanding the game around him as he also states the “trust” the team has in him.
“I think whether Jimmy's out there or not, it feels like it could swing a different way,” Curry said. “And so that's the challenge, and it's always been for him to see the pictures, understand the intensity that's out there. Try to be in the right spots defensively, and then when he has opportunities to be aggressive on the offensive end, take them. We trust him when he has a ball in his hands, and however many minutes he's out there, and be ready to play.”
At any rate, Golden State returns home looking to take a 2-1 series lead on Saturday night.
