If Jonathan Kuminga is the future of the Warriors, if he is the star No. 2 who can pair with Stephen Curry to bring another banner to the Bay, he has to show it now.
As rumors have swirled around the Warriors trying to trade for another star, Steve Kerr is giving Kuminga his chance — Kerr moved Draymond Green to the bench and started Kuminga against the Timberwolves on Friday night, and he’s going to stick with that for a few games. Here is what Kerr, Green and Curry said about it postgame — a loss to Minnesota — via Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area.
“I want to look at it,” Kerr said. “We’re trying to maximize Jonathan. Playing him with [Andrew Wiggins], playing [Kevon Looney] to start that group means that Draymond doesn’t have to guard the opposing center right from the get-go, which I think is important, and we can close with Draymond at the five. So in theory, I like what it looks like. We have to play better. We have to make better decisions.”
“Of course I’m OK with it,” Green said. “I’ve been one of JK’s biggest fans since he’s been here. If he has an opportunity to start, you can’t be hypocritical. … I’m a fan of his, I want to see him do well. If his opportunity goes through me, it is what it is. That’s his opportunity and he earned that opportunity. That’s kind of how I view it. That was my rationale. He played extremely well last night.”
“Until we figure out who we really are, who knows what it’s going to look like,” Curry said.
Kuminga finished with 13 points on 6-of-15 shooting, with two rebounds and one assist in 29 minutes Friday. Green finished with 10 points, nine rebounds and six assists off the bench.
There has long been a divide within the Warriors fan base and the organization about Kuminga — is he the future of the franchise? Kerr’s challenge is that Kuminga and Green are both fours. Kerr tried to make Kuminga more of a three, but that never fit, and while Draymond can play the five for stretches, he can’t do the job full-time. Now the inconsistent Kuminga is getting his chance — in a contract year — and the pressure is on to prove he really is that guy.
Meanwhile rumors keep swirling around the Warriors that they are trying to trade for another star — as they did in the offseason in trying to make a trade for Lauri Markkanen and talking with Paul George about coming to the Bay Area. While the Warriors will keep looking, unless there is a big shift from another team, the level of player the Warriors are hoping to find is not available. That may be an offseason move.
For this season, Kuminga is getting his chance, we’ll see what he does with it.