Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga has lost faith in Steve Kerr and no longer believes that Kerr will allow him to reach his full potential, Shams

[MikelArteta]

kuminga and corey joseph for otto porter and gradey dikk

 

[BigMoneyGrip]

After sitting for the final 18 minutes of Thursday night’s loss to the Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors forward 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.

“(Thursday night) was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” one of the sources said.

Kuminga had another strong performance Thursday night with 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting, four rebounds and four assists and was a team-high plus-6 in just 19 minutes of action — a continuing trend of the 6-foot-7 wing’s athleticism and evergrowing shot-making serving as a catalyst for a Warriors team desperate for the rim pressure and youth he provides.

He converted an and-1 finish with six minutes left in the third quarter, and Kerr substituted him out of the game 12 seconds later, along with Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney. While Thompson returned to start the fourth and Looney came back in with just under eight minutes left, Kuminga did not.

“He was playing great,” Kerr said of Kuminga after the game. “His normal time to go back in would have been around the five-, six-minute mark (of the fourth). (Andrew Wiggins) was playing great, we were rolling, were up 18, 19, whatever it was. So we just stayed with him. Then at that (later) point, it didn’t feel like the right thing to do. He had been sitting for a while. So I stayed with the group that was out there, and obviously, we couldn’t close it out.”

The Warriors were down 85-84 when they took Kuminga out of the game. To close the third quarter, the group that included Wiggins and didn’t include Kuminga helped build a 13-point lead that grew into an 18-point lead with six minutes left in the fourth. Kerr never went back to Kuminga and the Warriors went on to blow that lead, the fourth time this season they’ve let at least an 18-point cushion turn into a loss.

Kuminga and Wiggins are the Warriors two biggest wings — and their best theoretical chance to shore up a leaky perimeter defense that has the 16-18 Warriors tumbling to 20th in defensive rating.

But they haven’t worked together. In 131 minutes together, Kuminga and Wiggins are a cumulative minus-66. Kuminga replaced Wiggins in the starting lineup 11 games ago, but Wiggins’ steady involvement in the rotation has still led to some lower-than-expected minute nights for Kuminga, even while performing well.

“Their numbers are not good together, frankly,” Kerr said late last month. “They’re very redundant. So the tape and the numbers haven’t been great. But we recognize, too, that we have a level that we need to get to really compete at the highest level. And if those two guys can coexist on the floor, it does give us an elevated athleticism and elevated potential. But we have to find the right combination of people around those two.”

This problem dates back to last postseason. Kuminga was a crucial part of the Warriors’ climb to the sixth seed in the final two months while Wiggins was away from the team tending to a personal matter. But when Wiggins returned for the first game of the playoffs, Kuminga faded from the rotation.

That’s no longer the case. Kuminga has worked his way into a larger part of the picture — he has played in every game in which he’s been active this season — but still finds himself watching from the sideline during some of the season’s pivotal moments. That included Christmas when he was benched for the final three minutes of a loss in Denver and voiced some confusion to our Marcus Thompson postgame.

“Sometimes, I come out the game not knowing what I did,” Kuminga said. “And that messes with my head. It’s like, ‘What they want me to do?’ I can pass and I can do different s—.”

Now, an erosion of trust from player to coach is apparent, a decaying partnership for two men in Kuminga and Kerr whom Golden State needs to co-exist for the future.

Kuminga, the 21-year-old taken with the No. 7 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, has started to blossom this season with increased opportunity. Kerr made Kuminga the full-time starter on Dec. 14 against the LA Clippers following the indefinite suspension of Draymond Green. In those 11 starts, Kuminga has averaged 14.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting 56.6 percent from the field in 25.5 minutes per game.

The frontcourt rotation mix will only get more crowded and complicated when Green returns from his suspension at some point relatively soon. The Feb. 8 trade deadline is a month away, and this floundering Warriors team must decide how to proceed with an expensive roster not currently getting it done.

(Photo: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)

Props to my nikka Minga.. Stand on business… the entire Bay Area fanbase is done with Kerr… Sports media refuse to call that incompetence falling upwards cac out but be quick as fukk to get black coaches fired mid season..

Time for Steph to red button Steve Kerr… Everyone knows Steph built this fukkin franchise to the value it is today.. Steph leaves and dubs will be right back to the bushes value wise..

Minga had Gordon in hell all game.. Minga gets an and 1 in the 3rd still cooking and Kerr bytch ass sits him for the rest of the game and literally watched Gordon cook our interior all 4th quarter…

 

[CarltonJunior]

Props to my nikka Minga.. Stand on business… the entire Bay Area fanbase is done with Kerr… Sports media refuse to call that incompetence falling upwards cac out but be quick as fukk to get black coaches fired mid season..

Time for Steph to red button Steve Kerr… Everyone knows Steph built this fukkin franchise to the value it is today.. Steph leaves and dubs will be right back to the bushes value wise..

I don't think Kerr is perfect but this is a crazy reply to me, fans are so quick to scapegoat a coach it's insane. Of course dubs aren't going to be shyt when steph leaves but there isn't a single coach in america who would be able to make a Stephless warriors team contenders, so why so quick to throw Kerr away? What?

 

[BigMoneyGrip]

21-year old in his 3rd season losing faith in his Hall of Fame coach

Him and his agent wrote that article for Shams and Slater. Hilarious

What’s so funny? Ain’t shyt funny.. Kerr is committing coaching malpractice and everyone see it.. Sports media refuse to say anything but will be quick to have Darvin Ham in their stories about losing the locker room..

 

[tremonthustler1]

a reminder to free all my political prisoners

 

[Art Barr]

he's due for a contract soon. I can see why he's upset. it's almost like the warriors are purposely limiting him to lowball him.

This.
Same shyt the thunder did to James harden.




Art Barr

 

[Lil Bape the PostGod]

When he’s averaging 15.2 in chicago on a 34-48 team , that will be his full potential

 

[BigMoneyGrip]

I don't think Kerr is perfect but this is a crazy reply to me, fans are so quick to scapegoat a coach it's insane. Of course dubs aren't going to be shyt when steph leaves but there isn't a single coach in america who would be able to make a Stephless warriors team contenders, so why so quick to throw Kerr away? What?

If you ain’t a true fan of the team and watch every game your not going to understand… Majority of the reason why our record is the way it is is because of Kerr refusing to adapt playing the young guys .. icing moody, icing minga.. the guy is the fukkin worst

The team USA fiasco should have told you wall you need to know

 

[HoldThisL]

Cost me my whole parlay having him sit the whole 4th when I needed only 4 more points

 

[Thavoiceofthevoiceless]

Everyone that Steve Kerr has let go or benched has been mediocre or outright bad since he's joined the Warriors.

I'll side with him on this one.

If anything, that speaks how shytty that organization has been for the most part when it comes to drafting and player development especially on his part.

 

[firemanBk]

Damn you don't even gotta be that nice to be leaking to Shams like this now
That's crazy


The dynasty is over

 

[tremonthustler1]

This.
Same shyt the thunder did to James harden.




Art Barr

not the same thing.

James Harden won 6MOY and averaged 31 mpg. They didn't wanna give him max money because they didn't view him as a starter going forward.

 

[GoldenGlove]

he's due for a contract soon. I can see why he's upset. it's almost like the warriors are purposely limiting him to lowball him.

Yup, plus he knows that Kerr is going to gift wrap Draymond that starting position back anyway.

The Bulls did this to Coby White the last few seasons. It's fukked up, but Chicago got him on a team friendly deal. Nobody can tank a player's value more than an organization that wants to retain him for the low

 

[GoldenGlove]

21-year old in his 3rd season losing faith in his Hall of Fame coach

Him and his agent wrote that article for Shams and Slater. Hilarious

Last night was pretty bad and blatant tho. The L at the buzzer amplified things too.

 

[Art Barr]

not the same thing.

James Harden won 6MOY and averaged 31 mpg. They didn't wanna give him max money because they didn't view him as a starter going forward.

Stop.
We are both agreeing here.

You just trying to be a pessimist because it was my post.

Get a life breh.




Art Barr