Things haven't been going well for the Golden State Warriors as of late. Their recent loss to the Phoenix Suns made headlines not because of on-court highlights, but because of the incident between Draymond Green and Jusuf Nurkic which resulted in the former getting suspended indefinitely. With Green out and the Warriors currently struggling below .500, head coach Steve Kerr will have to make adjustments in order to gain momentum moving forward. At the moment, it could start with forward Jonathan Kuminga.

Averaging 11.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per game this season, Kuminga is the number one candidate to replace Green at the four. Despite not having Green's court vision and veteran experience, the 21-year-old more than makes up for it with his immense athleticism and energy. And as it stands, it looks like Kerr is already getting ready to fully utilize Kuminga in the absence of their veteran.

“With Draymond out indefinitely, Kuminga's role is about to grow even more. Kuminga is now the team's number-one power forward and will be featured in the Warriors' starting lineup, league sources told ClutchPoints. However, Kerr and the Warriors are expected to roll out various starting lineups over the course of the next couple of weeks based on matchup,” via ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel.

Warriors making intriguing Jonathan Kuminga move following Draymond Green's suspension

Steve Kerr, Jonathan Kuminga, Warriors

Aside from the issue surrounding Green, the Warriors experimenting with “various starting lineups” could be a result of poor play from other starters, particularly Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins. It might have already begun, as seen in the loss to the Suns. Late in the fourth quarter, Thompson and Wiggins watched the action unfold from the bench. On the floor was Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, Brandin Podziemski, Dario Saric and Kuminga. Despite the gamble not paying off, the endgame rotation is already a sign that the coaching staff is willing to risk sitting out their veterans in hopes of finding a spark to turn their season around.

“Podziemski and Moses Moody have been better than Thompson and Wiggins almost every time they've taken the floor,” as per Clutchpoints' Jack Winter. “Kuminga's consistency lags behind Podziemski and Moody's, but the two-way flashes he's shown more and more of late represent a fully realized ceiling theirs can't touch.”

The Warriors lineup that fans have come to love in the past is slowly withering away. However, hope remains, as Jonathan Kuminga and the younger generation look to step up and continue Golden State's winning tradition.