Warriors' Jonathan Kuminga ejected for the 1st time in his NBA career

Billy Heyen

Warriors' Jonathan Kuminga ejected for the 1st time in his NBA career image

Jonathan Kuminga had a long, drawn-out contract saga this offseason.

Now back on the court for the Golden State Warriors, he made a different kind of noise during Tuesday night's preseason matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Kuminga was ejected for the first time in his NBA career.

The ejection came after a no-call on a drive down the lane. While broadcast cameras didn't capture it, Kuminga reportedly made contact with the official after the play.

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ESPN's Anthony Slater spoke to Kuminga postgame and got this explanation for his anger:

"Jonathan Kuminga told me the aspect of the no-call that set him off (and led to his first career ejection) was the trip/clip of his right ankle from behind. Same ankle he badly injured last season. Gave him a concerning flashback. Was hurting a bit postgame but said he's fine."

The Warriors need to stay healthy this season. They've got a lot of talented veterans, along with a few younger standouts like Kuminga. 

They won't have a ton of trips to the postseason left with Stephen Curry, and so they can't afford injuries that ruin chances of winning.

Kuminga's role this season will be one that is analyzed frequently, because the Warriors didn't quite figure out his usage down the stretch of last season.

But if Kuminga can play with a positive fire, maybe he can slot in just right to what the Warriors need out of him.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle