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With Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins both out with injuries, Golden State Warriors head coach had to change his starting lineup vs. the New Orleans Pelicans. But in addition to replacing the pair of starters, he decided to go a step further and also controversially replace the healthy Jonathan Kuminga in the starting five.
Kerr's occasional unwillingness to play young guys, and specifically Kuminga, has been well-documented, but the pair have been working relatively well together recently. However, as a part of a major shift to his lineups, Kerr opted to move Kuminga to the bench ahead of Tuesday's 124-106 home win against the Pelicans.
The longtime Golden State coach explained his thinking behind the move.
“Without Steph and Wiggs, I didn't want to start Trayce [Jackson-Davis], Draymond [Green] and JK,” Kerr said after the game [h/t ESPN]. “I wanted a little more spacing. I knew it would be a JK game. I knew he would play a lot … this is just about combinations and getting a bit more spacing on the floor to start.
“All it is, is shuffling the lineup to try to get the right five-man grouping out there.”
Warriors' Jonathan Kuminga speaks after coming off bench vs. Pelicans
In early January, after the Warriors fell apart vs. the Denver Nuggets, Kuminga reportedly “lost faith” in his coach. The young wing, who had averaged 28 minutes per game over the previous two weeks, played just 19 minutes and sat on the bench for the final 18 minutes of the loss to Denver.
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Although Kerr and Kuminga seemed to smooth things over well enough to finish the season — Kuminga averaged 29.7 minutes for the rest of the season after that game — the fourth-year player did not seem particularly pleased with Kerr's latest decision.
“It wasn't my decision,” Kuminga said Tuesday. “I got a text, this is how it's going to go, this is who it's going to be, and I went with it. What am I supposed to do … ask why am I not starting? This is the decision of the coach, and we will follow what he's going to do.”
In the 18-point victory, Kuminga played a season-high 28 minutes, during which he recorded 17 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and a block. Previously, Kuminga had played fewer than 20 minutes in blowout wins against the Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz before playing 22 minutes in an 8-point loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.
Kuminga notably is set to become a restricted free agent in the offseason after he and the team did not sign an extension before the season began. While the Warriors may decide to play it out and potentially match an offer sheet if one comes in the summer, it is possible Golden State could be inclined to trade Kuminga before then.
The 22-year-old forward would certainly garner interest from teams, although the Warriors may be determined to hang on to Kuminga in order to give Curry, who has spoken about his desire to keep competing for championships, as good of a roster as they can.
The Warriors will again play the Pelicans tonight at home. Tipoff is at approximately 7 p.m. PT.
