The Golden State Warriors are navigating one of their rockiest stretches of the early season, and rising forward Jonathan Kuminga is at the center of the latest internal storyline. According to team sources, Kuminga recently expressed a direct and personal request to head coach Steve Kerr: he wants to be coached harder.
The conversation reportedly took place during a meeting at the team hotel in Sacramento before the ninth game of the season. Kerr, known for his player-friendly style, took the message seriously.
During the game against the Kings, he made a point to repeatedly call Kuminga over for direct, constructive feedback, signaling that he was willing to match Kuminga’s request with accountability.
The Warriors have a 72 game win pace when Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler play, but Jonathan Kuminga doesn’t 👀#nooticing pic.twitter.com/RleVusIIre
— TrollMuse (@TrollMuse_) November 15, 2025
But the timing of the exchange came just as the Warriors began slipping. A 4-1 start quickly devolved into a .500 record, and Kuminga's own play dipped as knee soreness began to limit his explosiveness. The 23-year-old struggled defensively in back-to-back road losses to the Bucks (without Giannis Antetokounmpo) and the Pacers (who were missing a chunk of their rotation).
His offensive impact faded too, most notably during a 1-for-9 shooting night against Indiana, where he missed all five 3-point attempts. Coaches flagged his shot selection as a reason for his reduced minutes.
Kuminga still showed activity on the glass, grabbing eight rebounds in that game, something both he and assistant coach Chris DeMarco pointed to as proof he could affect winning even when the scoring wasn’t there.
But turnovers plagued him during the blowout loss to Oklahoma City, and with Stephen Curry sidelined by illness for three games, the offense sputtered.
Curry’s return didn’t immediately stabilize the group, and with the team slipping to 6-6, Kerr and the veterans opted for a strategic shift. A new starting lineup featuring Moses Moody and rookie Will Richard signaled a reset, with Draymond Green emphasizing that during a losing streak, it becomes harder for players to push back against coaching decisions.
Kuminga missed the final four games of the road trip due to knee tendinitis, but with a long homestand ahead and several practices built in, the Warriors hope to intentionally reintegrate him. The request to be coached harder may ultimately define how Kuminga reenters the rotation, and whether this rocky stretch becomes a turning point for both him and the Warriors.
