Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga finally has number called in ugly loss to Raptors

Jonathan Kuminga’s long absence from the Warriors’ rotation finally ended Tuesday night, and the timing was not accidental.

With Golden State moving forward without Jimmy Butler, who suffered a season-ending ACL injury on Monday, coach Steve Kerr said he planned to lean more heavily on his bench. That included Kuminga, who had not appeared in a game in more than two weeks due to a coach’s decision.

Kuminga was met with a loud ovation at Chase Center when he checked in early in the second quarter against the Raptors. By the end of the night, he had delivered one of his most efficient performances of the season — finishing with 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting in 21 minutes, along with five rebounds and two assists.

The production came as Golden State searched for a spark. Kerr acknowledged before the game that Kuminga would likely see the floor under the new circumstances. Tuesday offered an early look at how that might play out.

The Warriors were routed by a 145-127 count, and this just might be the way things go without Butler.

But Kuminga’s return was notable. With his role once again in flux and the roster reshuffling underway, the next few weeks may determine whether this outing was an exception or the start of a reset in Golden State’s rotation.