Steve Kerr Makes Troubling Claim About Jonathan Kuminga

Getty

Draymond Green (left) speaks to Jonathan Kuminga of the Golden State Warriors on the bench.

The red-hot Warriors are 19-6 since the All-Star break, riding on tremendous performances by Stephen Curry and Co. However, Jonathan Kuminga is the one player who hasn’t made a major contribution to the Warriors’ success.

And not exactly by accident.

With Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler, two non-shooters, already in Golden State’s opening and closing lineups, head coach Steve Kerr has struggled to find Kuminga a significant role.

“Every game is different and I think Jimmy’s arrival took away a lot of Jonathan’s minutes at the four,” Kerr told Willard and Dibley, via NBC Sports Bay Area.

“There’s no doubt that as soon as Jimmy arrived and we started winning, we leaned into the lineup combinations that enhanced Jimmy because we were winning and Jonathan was out for that whole stretch. We went like 17 and 3 or something, so we’re going to keep doing what’s been winning.”

Jonathan Kuminga ‘Doesn’t Fit’

“But the lineup with Jimmy, Jonathan and Draymond doesn’t fit real well, frankly. It just doesn’t,” Kerr admitted.

“We need more spacing. We’ve found other lineups that have clicked, and this is just part of the deal, being in the NBA, and you’ve got to adapt to whatever’s happening with the team.”

To Kerr’s point, Kuminga has been forced to adjust on the fly after playing alongside Curry and Green for the majority of his four seasons in the NBA. Now, the Congolese forward is learning to play with new lineups and capitalizing on his strength as a slasher.

“Jonathan’s done a great job of that. He’s working hard. He’s playing well when he’s out there. But I’m just going with the line of combinations that I think are going to give us the best chance to win, and there’s going to be nights where he’s absolutely part of that like the Lakers game, and then there’s there’s going to be nights where I go to Buddy [Hield] or Moses or Gary Payton. It just changes every game based on what’s happening, and I have to read that as a coach.”

Warriors Have Big Decision To Make

Kuminga has also tried to fit in with the Warriors as the primary wing defender, showing off his mettle in a win against the Lakers in early April.

In the 2025 offseason, the Warriors will have to decide whether to keep restricted free agent Kuminga or let him sign with another team.

While the Warriors have the right to match any and all offer sheets that Kuminga may receive in the open market, the franchise has been very stringent about its spending in recent seasons. After the 2023-24 season, Warriors governor Joe Lacob said the team’s top priority was to get out of the second apron of the luxury tax, a feat they accomplished when they let Klay Thompson walk.

However, with Butler’s two-year, $110 million extension kicking in with the 2025-26 season, the Warriors will have limited financial flexibility and may be forced to let Kuminga walk. All that could change if Kuminga has a breakout performance in the 2025 playoffs and helps the Warriors make a deep postseason run.