Stephen Curry’s place in the record books was the obvious and deserved headline from Madison Square Garden.

However, as the offense continued to scuffle while the defense carried the way for the Warriors, the performance of another no. 7 overall pick showed the way for Golden State to inject new life into its post-3-point record season.

In just his second game since mid-November with double-digits in minutes played, Jonathan Kuminga’s 10 minutes Tuesday showed his ability in ways the stat sheet doesn’t. Kuminga had just two buckets and a pair of rebounds, but the potential for a real impact on the Warriors was shown on the defensive end.

At six-foot-eight, Kuminga picked up right where Draymond Green left off from New York, guarding Knicks big Julius Randle and collectively holding the 2020-21 All-Star to a pedestrian 5-of-13 from inside the arc. Randle would connect on five of his eight attempted triples, but Golden State’s forcing of the Kentucky product to take those shots was an effective playing of the percentages.

While on the surface Kuminga has yet to be that impressive – third in all-time three-point makes Reggie Miller pointed out the 19-year old was quite “raw” – the nature of the Warriors’ rotation, developments in the NBA at-large and their recent play almost necessitates a deeper integration for Kuminga.

First off, two of Golden State’s key rotation wings are effective veterans also mired in a bit of injury-management. Otto Porter Jr., who has emerged as one of the better free agent signings from the past offseason, has missed games this season with a left foot injury and is having a strong campaign after spending time on the injured list over the past few years.

Andre Iguodala has been dealing with some knee soreness, and played in the loss against the 76ers before resting against Indiana to return Tuesday at New York. Iguodala’s return after a few weeks off was no doubt a welcome one for the Warriors, but the 37-year old has looked a bit out of step, including against the Knicks when he passed up open looks close to the basket and ended the game with an 0-4 line, all misses from distance.

Therefore, because of the occasional touch-and-go nature of the veteran wings for Golden State, Kuminga should be worked more into the rotation for reasons beside his skill.

Secondly, the league has seen an uptick in COVID-19 positive cases, with the Bulls having to postpone games and teams like the Knicks, Nets and the defending-champion Milwaukee Bucks missing vital players. This comes with the emergence of the omicron variant and the urging by government officials for people to get their COVID-19 booster shots, and the amount of cases means a player might have to be ready at a moment’s notice.

Kuminga will hopefully never have one of his teammates return a positive test, but if that were to be the case, the wing’s integration in the rotation is paramount if the team wants to pick up from where it left off. Kuminga would not be elevated to a rotational role because of mere circumstance, however. The G League Ignite alum has spent time with the Santa Cruz Warriors this season, and scored 25 points in last Wednesday’s G League action, punctuated by some flashy dunks.

Lastly, Curry and the Warriors as a whole have struggled shooting the basketball as of late, whether it is because of the now-attained 3-pointer record, a slump, or a combination of both. Kuminga hasn’t necessarily shown off his distance shooting either, but he has the ability to slash, provide length at the basket and become a finisher at the rim. This opens up more space for the struggling Damion Lee, and would allow somebody like Nemanja Bjelica to capitalize off of hot nights.

Golden State is also a team relying on defense as its offense struggles, and Kuminga has shown promise on that side of the ball, potentially providing a valuable asset down the stretch as an athletic and lengthy wing. A team that has held every one of its opponents to south of 50% from the field this season could bear to make up for a rookie with some growing pains, but could also solidify its defensive dominance with Kuminga’s emergence.

The Warriors, after all, looked a bit fatigued as they labored their way through a back-to-back sweep. An insertion of youth energy on a veteran team could offset that feeling, and more.

(Photo credit: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)