The Golden State Warriors still aren't quite back at full strength.
De'Anthony Melton remains sidelined on Monday in the nation's capital, dealing with nagging low back pain that caused him to miss most of last season with the Philadelphia 76ers and reared its ugly head again in mid-October amid the Warriors' exhibition slate. Golden State has enough quality depth to take an ultra-cautious approach to his playing status. Don't expect to see Melton back on the floor until the discomfort in his back is minimal to nonexistent.
No matter when he returns to the lineup, Melton probably won't re-emerge as a candidate to start for the mostly healthy Warriors, either. Yet less than two weeks into 2024-25, it's become clear Golden State's starting five could be subject to continued change going forward.
With Stephen Curry available on Monday after recovering from a sprained left ankle, the Warriors are starting Andrew Wiggins, Gary Payton II, Draymond Green, and Trayce Jackson-Davis against the Washington Wizards alongside the two-time MVP. Conspicuously absent from that group is Jonathan Kuminga, who started in Payton's place at his preferred position of small forward over the first three games of the regular season.
Is Jonathan Kuminga bound to the Warriors' bench for good?
There's no denying that Kuminga has played his best basketball of the young season as a reserve. He's averaging 18.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, two assists, and one steal while coming off the bench, shooting 51.4% overall and 42.9% on 2.3 three-point attempts per game—a blend of production and efficiency that stands in stark contrast to his ugly numbers while starting.
Kuminga's usage has ballooned to alpha-dog levels this season when playing without Curry, too, a trend that dates back to 2023-24. As much as he and Green so staunchly believe in his star future at small forward, you don't need Kerr's nine championship rings to know that Kuminga's at his best right now as a four.
His sample size as a starter and reserve is tiny either way. It's also hardly surprising both player and team would need some time before fully acclimating to Kuminga starting on the wing.
Kerr alluded to that reality while explaining the decision to bring the 22-year-old off the bench after the Dubs' convincing win over the New Orleans Pelicans on October 29th, the first game Curry missed and one of two for which Wiggins joined him and Melton in street clothes.
“Well, without Steph and Wiggs, I didn't want to start Trayce, Draymond and JK. I wanted a little more spacing,” he said. “…All it is is just shuffling the lineup to try and get the right five-man grouping on there. But without Steph and Wiggs, to me, it didn't make sense to start the three bigs without those guards.”
The two-way prowess Kuminga put on display in that first matchup with New Orleans was just as evident for another win over the Pelicans 24 hours later, not to mention the driving force behind the Warriors holding on for an absolutely wild overtime victory against the Houston Rockets on Saturday.
Kuminga finished with season-highs of 23 points and six rebounds in H-Town, shooting 7-of-12 overall, 2-of-3 from deep, and 7-of-10 at the free throw line. It was one of the most patient yet assertive offensive performances of his career, Kuminga routinely identifying his specific advantage and then working quickly to exploit it. That overtime scoring binge got the most attention, and rightfully so, but his dogged individual defense on Jalen Green helped keep the Rockets' leading scorer from ever finding a groove, too.
“He’s been great. This is the third game in a row he’s come off the bench, and these were his three best games,” Kerr said of Kuminga after the game. “I think the way he’s responded to a role change is perfect. That’s what we expect. The professionalism, the force that he brought, coming off the bench, and playing the way he has is a huge sign of growth. Couldn’t be more proud of JK.”
Kuminga didn't hide his initial frustration at being moved back to the bench. While stressing that his mindset won't change regardless and how team success always looms largest, it was still obvious he was miffed by being pulled from the starting lineup so soon after the deadline for rookie-scale contract extensions came and went without him signing a new deal.
What a testament to Kuminga's growing maturity that he didn't let any of that resentment fester onto the floor while Curry was out. The next step is ensuring that remains the case across the 82-game grind, as Kuminga's former stranglehold on a starting spot seems more tenuous than ever with Payton in the opening five against Washington.
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