It’s been six games since the Golden State Warriors became home to Jimmy Butler. The Bay has only lost one game since. The ravishing star has transformed them altogether! The Steve Kerr-led side’s confidence is oozing and the controversial newcomer’s contributions are reaping lovely results. Butler is averaging 20 points per game, almost double than his January numbers. It’s almost so good that fans might forget that GSW still has a weapon to unleash. Jonathan Kuminga is close to being back on the floor.

Kuminga was a force to reckon with before his severe ankle sprain. He assumed a major offensive load at a time when Steph Curry was facing difficulties. Sadly, the ankle setback forced him out for a long duration. But finally, it won’t be long before Kuminga does return to Kerr’s rotations.

“On Thursday, Kuminga did a two-on-two. Like, it was his real first hard workout, at least in a somewhat contact setting in a two-on-two. They gave him Friday off, because they really pushed his body. Yesterday, Saturday, the first time he had live scrimmage, full contact, five-on-five against a lot of their young guys, you know, G League, that type of stuff. So, that’s a big step,” Anthony Slater noted on Warriors Plus Minus.

Although Kuminga has made incredible progress, even playing some full-throttle five-on-five, the Warriors aren’t in a hurry. There are several reasons for this. For one, it was a complex injury where the thunderous forward even “experienced some swelling” during his recovery phase. But mainly, the Warriors want to skip past Jonathan Kuminga slowly integrating himself into game shape.

“They want him to hit the ground running,” Slater added. “It doesn’t feel that urgent right now, the way they’re playing, that they’ve got to get him back in on Tuesday against the Hornets. So I think they’re being maybe slightly overly cautious on it, but it’s a tough injury, and I do think they want Jonathan coming in to really feel like himself when they drop him back in this type of environment.”

And the strategy does bode well. With Jimmy Butler, the Warriors have somebody who replicates Jonathan Kuminga’s impact with obviously more experience. The former Heat star gets to the line regularly and complements the shooting lineup well by being a looming threat inside the arc. Moreover, the Warriors might be even better by getting a fully healthy Kuminga into the mix.

Slow and steady might win the race for the Warriors!

Why change something that’s working so well? That’s the phrase I would use to support the Warriors’ patient handling of Jonathan Kuminga. Over the past five games, Jimmy Butler has managed to fit into the Bay Area side’s system seamlessly. It doesn’t seem like he joined the team at the trade deadline. And it has amounted to them winning games, and with SOME comfort.

The Warriors have beaten both the Kings and the Mavericks by 20+ points. In those games, Butler has been crucial and the rotations are functioning extremely well. However, with Kuminga comes a challenge. Because the youngster plays similarly to how Jimmy Butler does, Steve Kerr will mark that as a major adjustment to be made.

On paper, it doesn’t seem like they can start together, although JK was shooting the ball with great precision before his injury. Understandably, having both of them co-exist will take some time. A friendly schedule allows for the Warriors to get in the lab and test out various combinations. With the youngster doing contact scrimmages, it’s only a matter of time before he joins the first team.

Steve Kerr would prefer to experiment with those practice runs and find a smooth rotation. It gives the nine-time champion some samples to study. Until then, the Warriors have proven: they have enough.

After a homestand against the Hornets, the Warriors go on a five-game road trip. There, the only top opponent they are slated to face is the New York Knicks. And as per Anthony Slater’s prediction, the team could eye a return during this trip. Even Steve Kerr confirmed about JK: “Everything is coming along as we hoped.” They will back themselves to win against a resurging Orlando Magic and a stumbling 76ers team with the personnel they currently have.

However, with a big game against the Knicks, that’s where they might need Jonathan Kuminga. Hence, when they face the Hornets again on the road, that would ideally be the game the 22-year-old makes his return from injury. It gives him a preparation game for a contest against a title contender. It also gives the Warriors a fully healthy and prepped roster to face the Big Apple.

There could be a change in plans depending on how well Jonathan Kuminga adapts to the changed roster. But the Golden State Warriors should be in no hurry to bring him back in.