Jonathan Kuminga played in only three of the Golden State Warriors’ seven first-round games, and his future with the team is up in the air.
After nearly blowing a 3-1 series lead, the Golden State Warriors beat the Houston Rockets in Texas in Game 7, and will advance to play the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Conference Semifinals.
While Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry rightfully own the spotlight for the Warriors’ success, Jonathan Kuminga has been receiving attention for the wrong reasons. In the Warriors’ must-win final game of the regular season (which they lost) and subsequent play-in tournament victory, Kuminga did not play.
In four of the seven games against the Rockets, he was once again relegated to the bench and played only seven scoreless minutes in the final game of the series.
For lack of a better term, Kumunga has been downright unplayable, and his tenure with Golden State will likely be over after this season.
Kuminga spent much of the regular season, before an ankle injury sidelined him, as the Warriors’ third-best scorer. In the postseason, Buddy Hield, Brandin Podziemski, and Moses Moody have all stepped up, with 33, 26, and 25-point outings, respectively.
The Warriors, it would seem, don’t need him, and his poor play in Game 7 only cemented the case for him to receive DNPs for the rest of the Warriors’ season.
Against a talented Timberwolves’ team with plenty of star power, the margin for error will be zero.
“Well, it’s going to be huge, especially going against Minnesota, because everybody was wondering, ‘Who’s going to be that third guy to step up scoring-wise?’” asked Kendrick Perkins.
“We thought it was going to be Jonathan Kuminga, but they need to sit him down for the rest of the playoffs because mentally, he’s not there.”
Perkins went on to urge Steve Kerr to double down on shooting and rely on Hield more, at least until the sharpshooter proves him wrong.
“Buddy Hield tonight, especially in that first half, was huge for them,” he finished. “But that’s what leadership does, right? It rubs off on guys. So we’re watching a guy play with confidence. We’re watching the coach believe in him. Steph trusts him. Draymond Green trusts him.”
Of course, the Warriors have other players than just Kuminga who can step up when needed.
At his best, Kuminga is a reliable defender and solid scorer, although his outside shot has always left something to be desired. Rather than deal with mental lapses and the frustrations that Kuminga has exhibited lately, Kerr has decided to recreate him in the aggregate.
Moody can replace his defense, and Podziemski and Hield are both more versatile offensive players.
On top of that, even third-unit players like Pat Spencer, Kevin Knox, and Trayce Jackson-Davis have stepped up and played with fire in their rare chances. Kuminga has been disengaged all postseason.
Of course, it’s hard to blame him. When the Warriors traded for Jimmy Butler, Kuminga was effectively replaced in the rotation. He and the Warriors were unable to agree on a contract extension, and he knows he will be playing elsewhere next season, so his drive to contribute to the team is, understandably, gone.
However, with the Warriors vying for a title, it’s unreasonable to expect Kerr and his teammates to go out of their way to comfort him.
