Golden State Warriors rookie forward Jonathan Kuminga strained the patella tendon in his right knee, the team said Thursday.
The severity of Kuminga’s injury was detected during an MRI exam. He will be re-evaluated in one week and the team hasn’t yet set a timetable for his return.
Kuminga was injured during the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s preseason game against the Denver Nuggets.
Kuminga was the seventh overall pick of the 2021 draft. He is one of two promising young Golden State players who are ailing. The other is center James Wiseman, the No. 2 overall selection in 2020, who is still recovering from knee surgery on April 15.
“It’s always disappointing when anybody gets hurt,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters after Thursday’s practice. “Especially a young player like Jonathan, like James missing out on a bunch of training camp, or all of training camp, that’s definitely a setback.”
The 6-foot-8 Kuminga, who turned 19 on Wednesday, had been enjoying a strong training camp. He scored eight points in 17 total minutes in the team’s first two preseason contests.
“He’s an enormously talented young guy,” Kerr said of Kuminga, who played last season with the NBA G League Ignite. “He’s got some great qualities right away that jump out. He’s amazing in transition. He’s a physical specimen. He’s a freight train coming downhill in transition. He’s got some nuance to his game, too.”
Golden State opens the regular season on Oct. 19 against the host Los Angeles Lakers.
–Field Level Media