Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga is reportedly frustrated with head coach Steve Kerr and for good reason.
Kuminga, who was the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, had a very strong preseason campaign for Golden State and he looked poised to take on an increasingly important role for the Warriors.
During his three seasons in the league, his stats have looked fairly similar across the board. Perhaps one reason is that he has struggled to find rhythm in the rotation playing for Kerr.
That was never more apparent than when Kuminga sat on the sidelines down the stretch during Golden State’s loss against the Nuggets on Thursday.
After scoring 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting during his 19 minutes of action, Kuminga did not see the court for the final 18 minutes of the game and the Warriors blew a strong lead.
After sitting the final 18 minutes of Nuggets loss, Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga has lost faith in Steve Kerr and no longer believes that Kerr will allow him to reach his full potential, sources say.
Story at @TheAthletic with @anthonyVslater: https://t.co/TIAGABnyS8
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 5, 2024
According to Shams Charania and Anthony Slater, the loss was the “straw that broke the camel’s back” for Kuminga. Here is more (via The Athletic):
“Jonathan Kuminga has lost faith in coach Steve Kerr, and the 2021 lottery pick no longer believes Kerr will allow him to reach his full potential, sources close to Kuminga tell The Athletic, adding another layer of turbulence to an already complex Warriors season.”
Kuminga is shooting 74 percent at the rim, per Cleaning the Glass, which ranks in the 94th percentile among all forwards.
— dubs408 (@somedubvids) January 5, 2024
He put a lot of pressure at the rim during Thursday’s game, which is something Golden State was not able to do when he wasn’t on the court.
After the game, Kerr admitted that while Kuminga was playing great, it didn’t feel right to bring him back in the game because he had sat for such a long time.
This isn’t the first time we have seen Kuminga express frustration about his coach. He recently expressed similar concerns to Marcus Thompson (via The Athletic):
“I’ve gotta take that away to make sure my OGs get the ball. That’s where it’s confusing. Sometimes, I come out the game not knowing what I did. And that messes with my head. It’s like, ‘What they want me to do?’ I can pass and I can do different s—.”
Kuminga only recently turned 21 years old and he is still playing on a valuable rookie contract, which makes him a potentially attractive trade piece if this drama is not resolved internally.
Perhaps the only way for Kuminga to continue his development is in a new environment while playing for a different head coach. Kerr has done a good job developing other players in the past, obviously, but this could be a broken relationship in the Bay Area.
Meanwhile, a fresh start for the 2022 NBA champion could reignite his focus and help him actually reach his potential in the pros.