Warriors rookie Jonathan Kuminga leaves preseason game after tweaking knee

Golden State Warriors rookie Jonathan Kuminga was removed in the fourth quarter of the team’s 118-116 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday. Head coach Steve Kerr told reporters postgame that he believed the seventh overall pick tweaked his knee.

Any injury went unnoticed during the game, but Kuminga landed awkwardly on back-to-back plays just a few minutes into the fourth quarter and was pulled for the rest of regulation. The way it happened, and Kerr’s tone postgame, did not signal a serious injury, but the team’s training staff will evaluate him further in the coming days.

Kuminga is a huge part of Golden State’s plans for the future. Selected with the first-round pick the organization acquired in the D’Angelo Russell trade, the Warriors hope the 19-year old (his birthday was yesterday) will develop into an impact player. With that said, Golden State has championship aspirations this season and appears unlikely to give Kuminga significant NBA minutes as a rookie. Still, an injury would pose an obvious impediment to his development.

The Warriors will probably hold Kuminga out of their next preseason game on Friday against the Los Angeles Lakers. However, if Kuminga did not suffer a noticeable injury, he could be ready to rejoin the rotation in a rematch with the Lakers on October 12th.