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Jonathan Kuminga has been the Golden State Warriors' most polarizing player all season long. And in the Warriors' heated loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, which doomed them to the Play-In Tournament, Kuminga could not find the floor as Steve Kerr did not include him in the team's must-win rotation.
After the game, Kerr addressed not playing Kuminga in the Warriors' most important game of the season.
“We've just found a group since Jimmy got here that we're pretty comfortable with. Gui [Santos] didn't play either. Gui's been our highest plus-minus guy over the last two months. Both [Gui Santos] and JK have been really impactful players for us. It doesn't mean they're out of the loop going forward, this is just how this game played out.” the Warriors coach stated. “I just told [Kuminga] in the walkthrough that we were gonna change the usual rotation. I didn't tell him he wasn't going to play 'cause I wasn't sure if he was going to play or not.”
As the Warriors coach stated, Kuminga was active for this game. He could be seen staying warm on the stationary bike in the Warriors' tunnel throughout the game on the sideline. But Kerr chose not to go with him at all versus the Clippers, electing to play Gary Payton II. Payton took up the majority of Kuminga's potential minutes, ultimately playing in the closing lineup that took the game into overtime.
Kuminga's DNP is not much of a surprise to those following the Warriors. A big reason why is because of how Kuminga can't co-exist with Jimmy Butler or Draymond Green. Earlier this week, Kerr talked about the need for spacing and emphasized how the veteran power forward's style does not match the Dubs' best players.
“The lineup with Jimmy, Draymond, and JK doesn't fit. It just doesn't. We need more spacing, and we've found other lineups that have clicked,” the Warriors coach said.
The word spacing has been clear in Kerr's messaging. The Warriors want to maximize their spacing around Butler, Green, and Stephen Curry. Throw Kuminga into that mix, and the spacing starts to get clogged up.
Moving forward in these important games, we'll see if Kerr decides to go with Kuminga. But the DNP versus the Clippers could be an early indication of his future with the Warriors. Not only for the postseason but also for the offseason. His fit with Golden State has always been uneven. Perhaps this is the nail in the coffin of Kuminga's Bay Area tenure.
