While there are plenty of buzzworthy stories surrounding the Warriors as they enter the 2025 NBA playoffs, Jonathan Kuminga’s reduced role in Golden State’s two biggest games of the season continues to remain a sticking point among fans.
The fourth-year veteran registered a DNP in consecutive contests after not seeing the floor in the Warriors’ pivotal matchups with the Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies.
Golden State coach Steve Kerr offered very blunt reasoning for why the 22-year-old seemingly has fallen out of the Warriors’ rotation at the most critical juncture of their season during an interview with 95.7 The Game’s Mark Willard and Dan Dibley.
“Mostly, I feel for JK, because I like him. He’s been here for four years, he’s a talented guy. Sometimes things go in a different direction. I think what happened here is pretty obvious; I’ve talked about it. Jimmy Butler came in,” Kerr told Willard and Dibley. “When JK was out, we traded for Jimmy and they play the same position. Our whole team changed. We became an ISO team with Jimmy. Movement with Steph [Curry] and iso with Jimmy. Jimmy is one of the best players in the league, so it’s not as simple as just saying, ‘Oh, OK we’ll just play them together.’ Basketball doesn’t work that way.
“The puzzle has to fit. We found a really good formula when JK was injured and we got Jimmy, I think we went 18-2 or something right away. So we found lineup combinations that have clicked, and we’re winning and we have to stick with that. It’s brutal for JK, it really is. He’s a young player, he wants to play and he’s absolutely talented enough to play. He still may be a part of the equation in this series and maybe the next series after that. So we just have to keep plugging away and keep moving forward and he’s doing a good job of that, and I definitely feel for him.”
Kuminga averaged 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in 47 appearances during the 2024-25 NBA season, playing a critical role in the Warriors’ rotation before being sidelined for over two months with an ankle injury.
The No. 7 overall selection in the 2021 NBA Draft, Kuminga already has first-hand experience with what the NBA playoffs entail after helping the Warriors secure their 2022 championship as a rookie.
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While his role this season appears to be much different, Kuminga still could end up playing a crucial role for Golden State during the Warriors’ upcoming postseason run.
But for now, the 22-year-old wing appears to be entrenched near the bottom of the pecking order as Kerr and Co. pursue another piece of hardware for the franchise’s trophy case.
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