Steve Kerr admits he doesn't know where Jonathan Kuminga is at with injury rehab: "He didn't do anything"

What began as a promising season for young forward Jonathan Kuminga has spiraled down to one replete with uncertainty. Sidelined for the last five games due to bilateral patellar tendinitis in his knee, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr admitted that he absolutely has no clue where Kuminga is in his recovery process, which essentially means the latter is not expected to return any time soon.

This development isn't good news for a Warriors squad that is looking for some semblance of stability. After finishing a tough road trip with an even 3-3 record, they returned home to play at the Chase Center on Friday but lost to the Portland Trail Blazers, falling to 9-9.

Kuminga hasn't progressed by much

With veteran center Al Horford unable to provide the lift that many expected to bring — he is now set to miss the next three games due to Sciatica — the Warriors have been relying on their young talent to step up. Judging from Kerr's comments during his media session, Kuminga is far from ready to return to the court.

"He's got to tell you where he is," Kerr said when asked where the forward is in his recovery and rehabilitation process.

With the Warriors finally able to go through a practice after their exhausting road trip, the coaching staff was eager to have Kuminga participate in some way, shape or form. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

"He didn't do anything. We didn't do scrimmages, but we did live drill work, and he barely did any of that. So, he's not moving well, so training staff is working with him. I have no idea what he's doing," Kerr explained. "Honestly, I just talked to the training staff. They tell me it's day to day. So, talking to JK, and he said he's not moving that well, so I can't tell you what the outlook is."

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A cloud of uncertainty hangs over the Warriors

The Warriors and their fans had hoped that Kuminga would finally settle into his role as a starter this season. And early on, the early returns looked good as the talented and athletically gifted forward from Cameroon averaged 16.2 points on 53.8 percent shooting in the Warriors' 4-1 start.

More than the numbers, he appeared to work well with the starters, facilitating the offense, finding his open teammates, moving well without the ball and playing strong defense. However, a few old habits resurfaced and not long after, he was relegated to a reserve role.

Regardless of whether he starts or comes off the bench, Kerr stressed how important the young man is to the team's campaign this season. However, he can't play if his knee isn't at 100 percent.

"He needs to feel better and be able to move better before we can put him out there. Maybe we'll get imaging done on the knee, but yeah, we got to figure it out," Kerr stated. "We missed him. We played in Miami, when we were missing all our guys. The other night, we were tired. We need him, but he's got to get right before he can play."

With this injury and his role in flux, Kuminga appears to be back at square one again, trying to find a concrete role in the team's rotation and seeing where he fits in best. With him being eligible to be traded in January 2026, he and the Warriors may soon get the answers they're searching for.

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This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Nov 24, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.