In an all-important clash against the Los Angeles Clippers that would mean the difference between making the playoffs outright and having to go through the play-in tournament, the Golden State Warriors trimmed the rotation down to nine men. This was a game with a playoff-like atmosphere, and it was telling that head coach Steve Kerr decided not to give a single minute of playing time to Jonathan Kuminga, which was made even more glaring by the fact that the game went to overtime.

For Kuminga to not play in a high-stakes game reflects a lot of how the Warriors view him and his viability in a must-win game. But it looks as though the 22-year-old forward is taking things in stride and is already looking forward to redeeming himself. Following the Warriors' 124-119 loss to the Clippers, Kuminga was seen getting shots up late in Chase Center.

Perhaps the Warriors looked at the Clippers matchup and deemed it to be a poor one for Kuminga. Or perhaps, with Jimmy Butler playing 48 out of a possible 53 minutes, the Warriors thought it was best to not have lineups with both Butler and Kuminga sharing the court so they can maximize their floor-spacing.

This, however, should be a major concern for Kuminga; ever since coming back from injury, the Warriors have reduced his role quite considerably, and to not play at all in a must-win game must be very disheartening for someone who's already complained about his role in the past.

Meanwhile, Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski have both emerged as key rotation players Kerr has come to trust (30 minutes for Moody on Sunday, 43 for Podziemski). But moving forward, there could very well be a role for Kuminga to play on this Warriors team. He can be the team's main scoring option for when Curry and Butler have to take a breather, but with the playoffs looming, it's very unlikely for Kerr to trot out a lineup without one of those two.

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Could Jonathan Kuminga have helped the Warriors on Sunday?

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) speaks with forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) during a time out against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the fourth quarter at Chase Center.
© Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

At this point of his career, the best ability Jonathan Kuminga has going for him is his ability to get to the basket and ability to create a shot from out of thin air. But offense was the least of the Warriors' concerns on Sunday; they shot 54.4 percent from the field and 45.5 percent from the three-point line, and Kuminga's presence on the court would have been superfluous.

The best-case scenario, of course, is for Kuminga to use this as fuel and for him to round out his game enough to the point where Kerr has him near the top of his list when determining who would be getting minutes in a must-win game.