Jonathan Kuminga gives Warriors the cold shoulder in first reunion with former team

MINNEAPOLIS — Six months since his falling out with the Warriors, Jonathan Kuminga uttered the name of his former team only once in a stilted, five-minute media session before facing them for the first time as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The former lottery pick was asked about the matchup with his successor as the torch carrier of the next era of Warriors basketball, who also happens to wear No. 1, Yaxel Lendeborg.

“I haven’t really watched the Warriors,” he said, apparently not even in film sessions.

As far as his current team, Kuminga’s showdown with the organization that drafted him was overshadowed by bigger news: A knee injury that will require Anthony Edwards to get surgery.

That fit right in with Kuminga’s view on the matchup. He squared off against his former team once after he was traded to the Hawks in February for Kristaps Porzingis, coming off the bench and playing little role in handing the Warriors a 126-110 loss, shooting 1-of-9 from the field.

Kuminga signed a two-year, $13 million contract with the Timberwolves over the offseason.

“It’s just another day. Just another game against any other team,” he said. “I’m sure there will be some familiar faces, people that I spent a lot of time with the last few years. But it’s just another day. It’s just another day in the NBA. Nothing more than that.”

Edwards’ absence, however, only increased the spotlight on Kuminga on the court. While he has adopted the role-player mentality the Warriors have always asked of him, he should get more of an opportunity to be featured offensively while they try to make up for Edwards’ loss.

In his first four games, Kuminga has averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds in 29.8 minutes. The biggest difference between his time with Golden State has been his active defense, his willingness to take a backseat offensively and a 3-point shot that has hit at a 46.7% rate.

“Like most young players, he’s learning and growing and getting better,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who had a strained relationship with Kuminga. “More power to him. I want him to have a great career. This seems like a great spot. He’s got a great coach, Chris [Finch], and he’s playing with some superstar players in the backcourt. … Yeah, wish him well.”

The path to the court from the Timberwolves locker room passes the visitors’ set up in the tunnels of Target Center, so Kuminga crossed paths with some of his former teammates and coaches before tipoff. That didn’t include Kerr, though he said he planned to say hello.

He was asked to compare and contrast Kuminga with Lendeborg, who is two months older and was drafted 11th overall this past June. Lendeborg has logged at least 30 minutes in all but his first NBA game, a threshold Kuminga only reached six times in his final season under Kerr.

“They’re very different players,” Kerr said. “This is a different era for us. We wish Jonathan well.”