SAN FRANCISCO — With 33 seconds left, Steve Kerr and Steph Curry, who served as an assistant coach for a night and rested his sore knees, debated whether the Warriors should take their final timeout.

Given the various scenarios in which a timeout could be required in the final half minute of a one-possession NBA game, this was a risk. But Kerr and Curry agreed that the upcoming offensive possession was too important to pass up without a plan and two substitutions.

Kerr called it. He used Buddy Hield for spacing reasons. He used Kyle Anderson as a reliable inbounder. He then called out Jonathan Kuminga’s number and gave the fourth-year winger the ball in his hands with the game on the line.

“It was a no-brainer to get him the ball,” Kerr said.

Kuminga delivered. The game draft called for Hield and Andrew Wiggins to set up two screens for Kuminga. Hield nudged Dillion Brooks, Kuminga’s defenseman, on the first screen. Wiggins had a cleaner figure in the second round and drew the smaller Fred VanVleet into the action.

Kuminga pounced on the short space lane and burst into the lane for the layup that sealed a 99-93 win over the Rockets and ended a five-game losing streak. Curry and Draymond Green, who were sitting with calf strains, stormed from the sidelines to then celebrate with Kuminga.

JONATHAN KUMINGA WITH THE CLUTCH BUCKET 🤯 pic.twitter.com/aJ4xCeDi3l

– NBA TV (@NBATV) December 6, 2024

A common theme emerged late in the Warriors’ games during this recent five-game losing streak: They couldn’t score. In San Antonio, they only scored 13 points in the fourth quarter. In the loss to the Thunder, they missed 14 straight times, had nine straight empty possessions and went without a point for five full minutes in crunch time. In Denver they were defeated 11-0 at 2:32 in the final, losing another lead.

Kerr called it “pick-and-roll time” in the NBA. Curry is their best option on the ball. But the opposing defense is guarding him and swarming him. He is four months away from his 37th birthday. He is dealing with double knee tendonitis. He led them over the finish line with wins over the Celtics, Thunder and Mavericks earlier this season, but it’s clear the burden needs to be lightened. Curry needs help.

On Thursday evening, Kuminga loudly claimed additional tasks during the crisis. Kerr played it longer than 30 minutes for the first time this season. He kept him on the floor the entire fourth quarter. Kuminga responded with 14 points in the fourth quarter as part of his career-high 33 on 13 of 22 shooting. He was finished by closing time.

“It certainly could be a weapon,” Kerr said. “I think the biggest thing about our team right now is that we can see the chemistry between us and we can see how hard the guys are playing. We just have to find the combinations we can rely on.”

Steve Kerr on Jonathan Kuminga as a scoring option late in games: “I think it can definitely be a weapon.” pic.twitter.com/rSHQwydmOM

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) December 6, 2024

Kuminga started the last two games at power forward alongside Kevon Looney while Green sat out. Without Curry against the Rockets, the Warriors moved Hield into the starting lineup to provide more spacing for Kuminga and Wiggins to attack downhill. They both did. Wiggins had 23. They were the only two Warriors players in double figures.

“The playing field has opened up a little bit for JK the last few games,” Kerr said. “But can we get more out of him with Draymond and Loon? But as a (power forward) like he played the last couple nights. That’s really the key. We just have a lot of people, so we have to sort it all out. But there is no doubt we can do more of this.”

Friday night could push the boundaries of Kerr’s frontcourt conundrum. Green could return from his recent absence. Kerr insisted he wanted to start a center alongside Green. Looney was excellent. Wiggins is having a rebound season. The last time all three were available, Kuminga received just 19 minutes in Phoenix. Previously, he had a three-game stretch of 18, 15 and 19 minutes.

Given Kuminga’s considerable talent and shot-creating potential on a team that desperately needs help in that category, can the Warriors really afford to keep him in this minimized role?

“I think he showed he could do it,” Looney said. “I think this is the next step for him. Every game is different. We don’t expect him to score in every game. Some nights we need him to score 20, 30 points. Other nights he might not get as much touching. But I think he showed that he can score, he can get to the rim and the foul line when we need him. So I think part of our development as a team will be for him and Wiggs to step up to score for us in the fourth quarter and not just rely on Steph the whole time.”

(Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)