Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jonathan Kuminga admitted the team was not ready to play from the opening tip in Wednesday’s 119-114 loss to the Golden State Warriors, stressing that ball movement and collective responsibility must improve during Anthony Edwards’ absence.
Kuminga scored 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting, including three 3-pointers, and added five assists against his former team. Minnesota trailed by 24 points before cutting the deficit late, but Stephen Curry’s 44-point performance helped Golden State secure the win at Target Center.
“We’re missing him out there a lot, but it’s our job to go out there and compete,” Kuminga said of Edwards, who is expected to miss extended time after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.
Edwards averaged 33.3 points through Minnesota’s first four games, leaving the Timberwolves to redistribute his scoring responsibilities. Kuminga said the problem against Golden State was not simply the number of shots available but the team’s approach from the start.
“I think we just came out playing just the same flow as them,” Kuminga said. “It got contagious to us.”
He acknowledged that he was among the players who failed to establish the right intensity early. Minnesota opened the game with a 23-point first quarter and trailed 64-48 at halftime.
“We’re all not ready to play. So including me,” Kuminga said. “We just got to be ready off the get.”
Kuminga also rejected the idea that Minnesota needed to replace Edwards’ production by assigning a fixed number of additional shots to individual players. Instead, he emphasized sharing the ball and allowing the offense to develop through collective play.
“It’s not about 30 shots or we go shoot 10 or less or whatever shots we got to do,” Kuminga said. “We just got to be involved in the game and playing for each other.”
The forward pointed to Minnesota’s improved ball movement late in the game as evidence of the approach the team needs to maintain. The Timberwolves scored 33 points in both the third and fourth quarters after managing 48 in the first half.
“Film is going to tell us, you know, the earlier we share the ball, the better position we’re going to be,” Kuminga said.
Kuminga also discussed his defensive priorities, saying he wanted to continue improving on that end while the offense adjusted to Edwards’ absence. He finished with two steals against Golden State.
Minnesota, which started the season 3-0, has now lost two consecutive games. The Timberwolves host the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, Oct. 30.
