SAN FRANCISCO -- A mutual decision between Draymond Green and the Warriors has been made, in which the veteran forward will be away from his teammates and team facilities for the time being after he punched Jordan Poole in the face in a Wednesday practice incident.
Green will not suit up Sunday for the Warriors' preseason game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Chase Center. He expects to play in Golden State's Oct. 18 season opener, which also is a home game against the Lakers. However, that's far from a certainty, as Green and the Warriors continue to monitor the situation and his discipline.
The biggest beneficiary of Green's absence is someone who graduated from teenager status two days ago. Jonathan Kuminga will start at power forward Sunday for the Warriors, and coach Steve Kerr is extremely encouraged by what he has seen from the 20-year-old.
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"JK will start tomorrow," Kerr announced Saturday. "JK had a fantastic scrimmage two days ago. I told him it was the best I've ever seen him play. He earned a start tomorrow, and I'm excited about seeing him play."
Entering his second season as a pro, Kuminga is in full agreement with Kerr on what he showed during the Warriors' Thursday scrimmage. He was with the starters and proved that to be the right decision with Green gone.
"I feel the same way," Kuminga said later Saturday. "I was just more involved in trying to find ways to affect the game in any situation. Defense, offense, bringing guys together ... that's pretty much what I was doing. I feel the same way, too."
Kuminga started 12 regular-season games as a rookie, and averaged 12.3 points and 5.1 rebounds while playing slightly over 24 minutes in those contests. But the Warriors went 5-7, and Kuminga's average plus-minus as a starter was minus-8.4.
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Over the Warriors' two preseason games in Japan, Kuminga scored 11 total points off the bench and grabbed five rebounds. He also was a plus-12 in the Warriors' first win and a plus-7 in their second victory. In Year 2, he's expected to be an off-the-bench player who can fit in with starters and role players, taking advantage of his athleticism.
That's what James Wiseman did in Japan, especially in the Warriors' first game, in which he scored 20 points and threw down five dunks off the bench. Kerr and the rest of Golden State's coaching staff are simplifying everything for the 21-year-old, and the results exactly were what they hoped. Wiseman also was praised for being vocal on both sides of the floor, showing more mental confidence.
With a season as a pro to his name and witnessing what it takes to be a champion, Kuminga believes he also has grown in that area.
"Vocal-wise, I feel comfortable calling anything, especially if I got the ball in my hands," Kuminga said. "I'm going through my second year. I know everything that's going on, and I'm going to do everything the team needs me to do."
There isn't one specific area of the game that Kuminga focused on most during the offseason. He said his main goal was to stay ready and essentially show he's here to help the Warriors win. Come Sunday, he'll have an even bigger opportunity to prove he's ready to do just that.
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The Warriors will be without Green and Klay Thompson in the starting lineup of their third preseason game. Poole and Kuminga will go from the bench to the first five on the floor, giving Golden State yet another possible glimpse of the future.
This isn't a first for Kuminga, and it won't be a last. But every time he has more space to shine, it shows us all what can be of this team now and in the future -- with a handful of complicated contract situations on the horizon.