Jonathan Kuminga has now played just one of the Golden State Warriors’ past 11 games, nine of which were DNPs. He had a golden opportunity to log in a few minutes against the OKC Thunder on Friday but was ruled out with back soreness.
Golden State, without Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green, suffered a 131-94 lopsided loss and now has a 18-17 record to be placed eighth in the Western Conference standings.
Kuminga’s time with the Warriors seems to be over. While he is ineligible to be traded right now, he can be moved after Jan. 15.
When Golden State coach Steve Kerr was asked about the difference between short burst and long burst players in his postgame presser Friday, he brought up Jonathan Kuminga in the discussion and said:
“I think generally, you know, guys off the bench who are playing shorter minutes, shorter burst minutes, are guys like Gui, Gary Payton, high-energy players come in and you feel their impact right away with the energy, the crashing, just a nose for the ball, that sort of thing.
“I think JK is a player who, and he’s told me this, it’s not like I’m just, you know, surmising this, but he’s a player who needs minutes and touches to get his rhythm going and, you know, wants to make plays with the ball. Guys who play shorter bursts are generally gonna be guys who play off the ball and who make also plays, energy plays, and it’s a different type of role.”
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It’s obvious from Kerr’s comments that Kuminga wants a larger role in the team, but it’s something the team management is not willing to do because of fit issues alongside the star duo of Curry and Butler.
Steve Kerr Opened up About Jonathan Kuminga’s Name Coming up in Trade Discussions
There’s no denying that Jonathan Kuminga brings things to the table that no other Warriors can. After a tough past couple of years, things seemed to have gotten better as the forward started the season strong.
However, the old bad habits resurfaced, and he was pushed to a bench role, and he hasn’t been able to reclaim a starting spot ever since.
On Monday, Kerr claimed that he realized how tough the situation must be for Kuminga, but there’s not a lot he could do, via Yahoo:
“It’s a tough spot to be in. He’s got two little girls at home, and he’s been here five years. And Wigs (Andrew Wiggins) was in this exact boat a year ago. Wigs actually was about to have his third child right at the trade deadline, and his name was floating out there. So we kind of go through this every year, but there’s always a player or two who becomes the focal point of the trade deadline.”
Also Read:
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OKC Thunder Join Elite List After Latest Win Against Golden State Warriors
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