Jonathan Kuminga’s time with the Golden State Warriors will likely end this season. The young star looked like he had finally cracked the starting five to start the year, but that seems like a false alarm now. Kuminga has been relegated to a bench role, and an NBA insider has pointed out Steve Kerr’s issue with him.
Kerr has coached the Warriors to four championships. However, he can be stubborn from time to time as the head coach. The Kuminga situation has been less than ideal for the franchise, and he hasn’t been able to do much about it.
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“Steve Kerr doesn’t seem to trust minutes to Kuminga even at this point in his career,” Zach Harper of The Athletic said on a podcast with fellow insider Marc Stein. Stein then explained that the Warriors are hoping to find a trade for Kuminga, although his value hasn’t increased.
The lack of trust is the biggest problem. Kerr recently didn’t play Kuminga at all in a game against the Bulls. Benching is one thing, but a DNP is outright damning. If the coach can’t help the young star maximize even in moments, the Warriors won’t get much return in a trade.
Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga drives against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Jaylon Tyson. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Kuminga is averaging 12.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game on the year. However, his potential is so much higher than those numbers. If Kerr himself doesn’t believe in him to give him minutes, though, how are other teams supposed to trust in the young star’s quality?
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