The Chase Center erupted in the second quarter of tonight’s Warriors-Raptors game—not for a game-changing play, but for a long-awaited return. Jonathan Kuminga stepped onto the floor for the first time in a month, and the home crowd rose as one to welcome him back. Despite the Warriors’ 127-145 loss, Kuminga’s presence injected a jolt of energy into a team still reeling from Jimmy Butler’s season-ending injury. More significantly, the tension between the forward and his head coach appeared to finally thaw.

Kuminga came off the bench in the second quarter, and his impact was immediate. In the second half, he delivered an explosive “and-1” finish that sent Warriors owner Joe Lacob leaping from his courtside seat, nearly halfway onto the court as he pumped his fist in celebration.

The moment captured everything: Lacob’s vindication, the crowd’s relief, and a young star’s triumphant return to the fold. Even in defeat, the Warriors found something to celebrate—the kind of energy that could reshape their season ahead.

Lacob is also the primary reason Kuminga is still in the Bay. The billionaire is a fan of the 23-year-old and wants to hang on to his potential growth. So this really game him the chops to rub it in the Kuminga critics’ noses.

And those who thought the forward was going to be rusty after a month away, JK had 20 points off the bench. He played 21 minutes and added five assists and a steal. His shooting decline was what got him demoted but tonight he was at 74% true shooting efficiency.

It’s Kerr who’s facing the brunt of the blame for tonight’s blowout loss. Fans can’t reconcile his decision not to play the starters, including Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, in the last quarter.

But what overshadowed that was a little interaction after the game. Kerr and Kuminga were seen chatting on the sidelines after the game ended, and the vibes were pretty great.

Sources described the Kerr-Kuminga relationship as “fractured beyond repair,” with Kuminga demanding a trade after being benched despite early-season starts. Incidents included Kuminga sitting out a game listed with a back issue amid tensions following a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. JK reportedly ruled himself out when shorthanded, leading all parties to view a trade as best.

Everyone thought the “fractured beyond repair” relationship would create some awkwardness tonight. But none of that was visible, giving a silver lining to not having Jimmy Butler to depend on.

Steve Kerr and Jonathan Kuminga’s truce could give Joe Lacob what he wants

Steve Kerr has been touting his instincts when he made dramatic lineup changes. He benched Jonathan Kuminga in mid-December to recalculate the dip in shooting efficiency. And it’s not a decision that’s sat well with the Warriors community.

Kerr had been making empty promises of putting JK in the lineup all of 2026. Which is not much. But tonight he finally did and loved what he saw.

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“He came in and had great energy, attacked the rim, made some shots. I thought JK was really good and it’s a great sign with Jimmy out, obviously, there’s a hole in that spot of our roster. So JK is gonna factor in here again and really pleased with the way he stayed ready and stayed prepared and got his opportunity and played really well,” Kerr said after the game, not looking like they just lost one.

Kerr revealed that Kuminga had not been practicing with the team either. So he was not sure how he would fit in the rotation. He was pleasantly surprised by the youngster’s performance.

“It’s been a month or so since he played, and we haven’t had any practice. So it’s hard to have any idea how someone is going to play in a set of circumstances, but he was really good,”  Kerr commented.

While Kuminga’s trade request remains active, the “experimentation” Kerr mentioned has already yielded a 20-point proof of concept. The chances of him getting traded dipped, and Joe Lacob is probably strutting around after being right.