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Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr gave an eye-opening take on forward Jonathan Kuminga. Despite not having Stephen Curry or Draymond Green on Thursday, the Warriors pulled off a stunning victory over the Houston Rockets. Kuminga led the charge, scoring 33 points on an efficient 13 of 22 from the field. The standout performance included a 14-point fourth quarter from the Warriors star, which is surprising, considering that he has rarely been a primary option at the end of games.
As of today, Kuminga is fifth on the Golden State in fourth-quarter scoring at 2.8 points per game. On Thursday night, the Warriors consistently found success putting the forward in pick-and-roll actions. Steve Kerr suggested that this strategy could be implemented more in the future at the end of games.
In a postgame interview with Warriors reporter Anthony Slater for The Athletic, Kerr responded to a question on Kuminga's involvement in more pick-and-rolls and inclusion in end-of-game lineups.
“It could absolutely be a weapon. I think the biggest thing with our team right now is we can see that we have chemistry. We just have to find the combinations that we can count on and hopefully get to night after night. That's the only way to really develop chemistry and continuity while trying to close games. I think the floor has been slightly opened up the last couple of nights for JK (Kuminga). The question is, can we get him out there more with Draymond and Loon and as a four? That's the key.”
Jonathan Kuminga is still finding his role with Golden State
Jonathan Kuminga has had an up-and-down start to his fourth year in the Bay Area. The former seventh-overall pick has been mainly coming off the bench for Steve Kerr's team, with a slight decrease in his minutes.
Kuminga is averaging 14.8/4.3/1.8 on his lowest efficiency from the field. These totals come after a career year for the Warriors young star, where he showed his potential to develop into a future all-star. Despite the disappointing start, Kuminga is starting to find his footing, albeit with Draymond Green out of the lineup with a calf injury.
Ultimately, Steve Kerr hinted that Golden State needs to find a consistent end-of-the-game rotation. So far, the Warriors are 6-7 in matchups that have required clutch time, showcasing that this is one of the major dilemmas this franchise is facing. Unfortunately, having Kuminga, Draymond, and a center severely limits the Warriors from a spacing standpoint. Steve Kerr knows this which explains why Kuminga, Green, and Kevon Looney have only been on the floor together for one minute this season.
Golden State's head coach, therefore, has a few options. Play Kuminga over Green at the end of games at power forward, start Draymond at the center with Jonathan, or bench Kuminga at the end of games. This question could dictate the franchise's near and distant future. The Warriors young star needs to be seen as a viable option down the stretch. If not, Golden State could probably get more out of him in a trade.
Overall, with the amount of depth the Warriors have on their roster, trades will need to be made soon. Thursday night was just another reflection of how Golden State has the potential to get the best out of Kuminga. Nevertheless, if that potential doesn't become the norm, it might be best to move on.
