Jonathan Kuminga a late scratch due to illness

The Golden State Warriors bench just took a hit for their Wednesday night showdown with the Phoenix Suns. Fresh off his best game of the year, second-year forward Jonathan Kuminga will not play as the Dubs look for revenge in the desert.

Kuminga was a late scratch after coming down with a non-COVID illness.

Kuminga started the season in the rotation, but quickly lost his spot. He received a second chance a few games ago, and has been making the most of it. In the Warriors dominant win over the San Antonio Spurs on Monday, Kuminga had 15 points on 5-for-8 shooting, while looking decisive, aggressive, and skilled on defense, on the glass, and as a playmaker. That performance surely earned him a larger role going forward, but we’ll have to wait until Friday at the earliest to see that.

With Kuminga out, the Warriors only have 11 available players. Andre Iguodala and Patrick Baldwin Jr. remain sidelined by injuries, while James Wiseman and Ryan Rollins are in Santa Cruz getting G League reps. The Warriors will have their starting five of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, and Kevon Looney, their trusty bench quartet of Jordan Poole, Donte DiVincenzo, JaMychal Green, and Moses Moody, and their pair of two-way contracts, Anthony Lamb and Ty Jerome.

On the season, Kuminga is averaging 5.2 points, 1.8 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.3 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game in 14.1 minutes, while shooting 42.6% from the field and 26.7% from three-point range.

Hopefully he’s feeling better soon, and can be back on the court when the Dubs host the New York Knicks on Friday night.