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Jonathan Kuminga's future with the Golden State Warriors has been clouded in so much doubt over the past few weeks; head coach Steve Kerr decided to phase him out of the rotation completely during their crucial final regular-season matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers and was not in the rotation to begin their first-round series against the Houston Rockets. Kuminga has only gotten minutes as of late amid the injury to Jimmy Butler, who's dealing with a pelvic contusion.
It's clear that Kerr is not a fan of having Kuminga in the rotation alongside Butler; the numbers may not tell the whole story but they paint the picture that the on-court fit between those two isn't the best. Thus, it may serve the Warriors best if they trade Kuminga away this offseason, as there are other teams that could use a man of the 22-year-old forward's skillset.
At the end of the day, the Warriors, according to former member of the team Andrew Bogut, simply aren't a good fit for what Kuminga brings to the table.
“I just think he’s in the wrong system. I don’t think he’s a ball-movement, move-off-the-ball guy that Golden State likes to play in that style. Look, it is a contrast to a lot of teams where you’re basically getting the ball in the paint to get it outside for threes. You’re basically looking to go misdirection a lot with Steph. But I just think he’s an iso guy, and I don’t think iso guys work in Golden State,” Bogut said in a guest appearance on the House of Strauss podcast.
Jonathan Kuminga's days with the Warriors might be numbered
Jonathan Kuminga can score the basketball, that much is clear. But he needs the ball in his hands to do damage, and his unrefined playmaking makes him quite an iffy fit in a Stephen Curry-centric offense.
“In a lot of systems these days, iso guys will struggle. But there are some systems where he’ll fit better. I think right now he’s a sixth-man bench scorer at best — but he’s not that good of a scorer yet,” Bogut added.
Bogut, who has plenty of experience in the Steve Kerr system, feels as though Kuminga isn't the player the Warriors front office thinks he is.
“I know Joe Lacob loves him. Joe drafted him. Joe does have an infatuation with players he’s involved with during the draft process, so I think that’s a big reason why there’s a push for him. I think Steve [Kerr] might see it differently, where he doesn’t think Kuminga is a big rotation-minutes guy,” Bogut said.
