Jonathan Kuminga’s return from his nagging sprained right ankle will have to wait until the Warriors’ upcoming homestand. Golden State on Wednesday ruled Kuminga out for its game against the Brooklyn Nets on Friday at Barclays Center, which concludes a five-game road trip.

It now has been more than two months since Kuminga last played. He sustained the injury against the Memphis Grizzlies on Jan. 4 after scoring 13 points in 15 minutes. Kuminga attempted to block a shot, and upon landing he was sandwiched between two Grizzlies and badly rolled his right ankle.

Immediately, it was clear this was going to be a significant injury. Kuminga rolled around on the ground multiple times, shook his head and quickly pointed to the bench to come out of the game.

— Warriors on NBC Sports Bay Area (@nbcswarriors.bsky.social) January 4, 2025 at 6:44 PM

The timing of Kuminga’s injury couldn’t have been much worse. Kuminga, 22, was coming off the best stretch of basketball in his four-year NBA career. The game before his injury, Kuminga scored 20 points off the bench, along with five rebounds and five assists in a blowout win against the Philadelphia 76ers. In the previous week, Kuminga also put together back-to-back 34-point performances.

Kuminga from Nov. 27 to Jan. 4 played in 17 consecutive games, starting seven and being a bucket off the bench in the other 10. Over those five-plus weeks, Kuminga averaged 19.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, shooting 46.7 percent overall and 37.3 percent on 3-pointers. He scored 30 or more points in three of those games, at least 20 in eight, exactly 19 in two and 18 in another.

The Warriors have gone 16-12 in the 28 games Kuminga has missed. But since trading for Jimmy Butler, they’re 9-2, and 9-1 in the games their newest star has played.

“Jonathan is a hell of a player, and his team is playing great,” Draymond Green told reporters Tuesday night after the Warriors’ comeback win against the New York Knicks. “Lucky him, that you get to come into a situation where the team is playing well. Having to come into a situation where you’re trying to fix stuff with that type of pressure, it sucks. For him, you’re coming into a situation where the team’s playing well.

“He’s a great player, so we’re not worried about ‘How does he fit?’ He’ll be fine. Lucky for him, we’ve kind of stabilized the ship and he can come in and find his rhythm and add to what we’ve been doing, which is what we need.”

Adding Kuminga gives the Warriors another scorer, one who is averaging a career-high 16.8 points per game. He’ll bring the kind of athleticism the Warriors lack, and as Butler has shown, another player who can attack the rim. The Warriors also can use his point-of-attack defense with the loss of Andrew Wiggins in the Butler trade.

Ever since the Warriors acquired Butler, they’ve anticipated how he and Kuminga fit together. They believe Butler is a perfect blueprint for him, and the veteran is a fan of the former top draft pick full of athleticism.

“I think it’s going to be easy,” Butler said before the Warriors hit the road when asked about eventually bringing Kuminga back. “Hella athletic. Can shoot it, can score it in a multitude of ways. And he can guard. He can definitely guard. He’s going to come back and do what he’s been doing. My job is to just make it even easier on him.

“Come on back and help us get some dubs.”

Kuminga has been scrimmaging, essentially clearing every hurdle, but he, Rick Celebrini and the Warriors haven’t deemed him fully healthy. Now with Butler in the fold and the Warriors eyeing another title run, Kuminga being as close to his best has been a main priority.

The Warriors’ seven-game homestand that starts Saturday at Chase Center should be a great test for the team and Kuminga alike. Everything begins against the Detroit Pistons, a team that has surged to the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference by winning nine of their last 10 games. Their next opponent, the Portland Trail Blazers, have won five of their last six games. Any game against the Sacramento Kings always is going to be a heated showdown.

Then, the Warriors play the Knicks, Denver Nuggets and Milwaukee Bucks in the three straight games – three teams with championship aspirations.

Kuminga playing anything like he was prior to his ankle injury gives the Warriors another boost aside from the Butler move. He has been watching Butler’s film and observing from the bench. If Kuminga has absorbed what he has seen, the Warriors can be as dangerous as any contender in the NBA.

The wait continues, with an end in sight and a huge reward possibly waiting for everyone.