Jonathan Kuminga gets his first crack at the Warriors on Wednesday night, and the timing gives this one a little extra bite.
The Minnesota Timberwolves host Golden State with Kuminga facing the franchise where things never really settled down. His run with the Warriors was marked by a rocky relationship with head coach Steve Kerr, a summer of difficult contract talks, and a trade to the Atlanta Hawks at the 2026 deadline. ESPN’s Anthony Slater called it an "ugly split" and detailed some of the smaller frustrations along the way, including Kuminga taking too much food from the family room.
Now he sees Golden State for the first time as an opponent, and even if he doesn’t say it out loud, this is the kind of game that tends to mean a little more.
The matchup also sets up well for him on the floor. Golden State’s defense has struggled badly, ranking 27th in defensive rating per Cleaning the Glass, and opponents are hitting 78.5 percent at the rim against the Warriors. That kind of profile gives Kuminga a chance not just to shine, but to put together one of those nights that reminds everyone what he can do when the game opens up.
Wednesday could put more on his plate offensively, too. Anthony Edwards is out with a knee injury, which increases the odds that Kuminga will be asked to create shots. He’s suited to a complementary role, but he’s also a talented scorer, and when the situation calls for it, he can handle a heavier load.
His athleticism is the obvious weapon. Kuminga can pressure the rim and take advantage of Golden State’s lack of protection there.
Playing next to LaMelo Ball has also helped make the game easier for him, with Ball consistently looking for him and his teammates. That could matter again on Wednesday.
The Warriors repeatedly pushed Kuminga toward a supporting role, but it never quite took hold, and he often found himself out of the rotation. Minnesota has given him something different: belief, minutes, and a system that lets him play freely.
The fit has worked. He has brought gritty defense, rebounding, and athletic finishing, and he’s been a major reason the Wolves are out to a 3-1 start.
Kuminga and Kerr never got on the same page. Maybe there was immaturity on Kuminga’s side, but the lack of consistent faith from Kerr was part of the problem, too.
Minnesota made a real run at him, and that mattered. The Wolves saw a player they wanted and acted like it.
Even if he doesn’t come in as the primary creator on Wednesday, Kuminga still has every chance to make his presence felt against his old team as a complementary force.
In Other News...
Tim Connelly Just Changed The Anthony Edwards Surgery Debate
Tim Connellys explanation added some clarity to the Anthony Edwards knee situation, and it made clear this was not simply a case of waiting out the offseason. The Timberwolves president of basketball operations said the arthroscopic procedure could not have happened earlier because recent imaging showed changes that made surgery necessary, turning what might have looked like a delayed maintenance issue into a more urgent medical decision.
The timeline matters, especially with Edwards dealing with a right knee problem after having inflammation there during the regular season. The latest imaging came after he felt discomfort following a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the distinction is important for Minnesota because this is not the left knee he injured in the playoffs. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Suddenly Have A Bigger Problem Than Their First Loss
For three straight games, the Timberwolves looked every bit like a team that planned to spend the season chasing a top seed rather than feeling its way through October. Then came their first real test, an overtime loss to Cleveland in which Anthony Edwards poured in 47 points and still could not drag Minnesota across the finish line, a reminder that even a fast start can crack once the schedule tightens and the margins get thin.
The bigger concern now is how much harder that margin just got to manage. Minnesota is already dealing with a free-throw issue that showed up in the Cleveland game and has been an ugly trend through the opening week, and the lineup picture looks far more unsettled with Edwards headed for a right knee procedure. A team that began the year with blowout wins suddenly has to answer a much more uncomfortable question: how long can it keep looking like a contender without its best offensive weapon? [Read more 🡒]
LaMelo Ball Now Faces The Pressure Minnesota Can't Escape
Anthony Edwards knee injury has left Minnesota in an uncomfortable spot, one it cant really paper over for the next stretch of the season. With its top scorer sidelined for more than two months, the Timberwolves are suddenly asking LaMelo Ball to carry the offense in a way that changes both the pace and the pressure of every possession.
Ball has the passing vision and creativity to help fill the void, but the question is how quickly he can translate that into a more demanding scoring role. The Wolves need him to be more than a lead guard who keeps things organized, and that shift brings a different kind of scrutiny as Minnesota tries to stay afloat without the player it usually leans on most. [Read more 🡒]