After struggling for playing time in the early weeks of the postseason, Jonathan Kuminga is emerging as an essential part of the Golden State Warriors‘ rotation against the Minnesota Timberwolves. On Saturday, May 10, Kuminga came off the bench to give his team a significant boost. In 35 minutes of playing time, Kuminga dropped 30 points, pulled down six rebounds, and dished out three assists.

During his postgame news conference, head coach Steve Kerr praised Kuminga’s production. The veteran head coach also noted how important the explosive forward will be to the Warriors throughout their current Western Conference Semifinals series against Minnesota.

“JK played one of the best games of his life,” Kerr said. “It was fantastic to see, and you can see how necessary he is in this matchup, especially without Steph. You know, we’re having a tough time getting free, and he’s obviously capable of giving us some points, getting to the rim, and I thought he was fantastic. I’ve said it a couple times to you guys. I’ve just been impressed with the way he’s handled things the last couple weeks, with the way he’s stayed ready and put in the work, and it paid off tonight.”

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Kuminga will likely have a consistent role throughout the current series. His explosiveness and rim pressure are giving the Warriors a much-needed boost. Furthermore, both Kuminga and Jimmy Butler are finding ways to share the floor together while remaining effective, both on offense and defense.

The Warriors will head into game four on Monday, May 12, in need of a win. Stephen Curry is ruled out until at least game six, as such, Golden State will need Butler at his best if they want to secure a much-needed win and tie the series up at 2-2. Fortunately for the Warriors, it would appear Kuminga is also capable of making a big impact, and his partnership with Butler could be what turns the tide against Chris Finch’s team over the next week or so.

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This article originally appeared on Warriors Wire: Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga Earns Kerr’s Praise After Breakout Game