The 2023 NBA season has not been a kind one to the Golden State Warriors. Between future Hall of Famers’ Draymond Green garnering multiple suspensions and Klay Thompson unquestionably being in the final stage of his career, to the offseason trade acquisition Chris Paul being on his last leg and Stephen Curry the only consistent player, the road to the playoffs for the 11th-seeded Dubs is bumpier than ever. As their championship winning dynasty continues to age, who’ll carry the torch for the next era of Warriors basketball remains greatly in question.
One of the most notable young pieces in their current roster, Jonathan Kuminga, is a player the Warriors are hoping to develop into a bona fide superstar. Picked seventh in the 2021 draft, Kuminga is averaging a career high 12.8 points per game in his third season. But, his playing time in Coach Steve Kerr’s rotation hasn’t been consistent despite this season’s roster turmoil. This has caused much frustration for Kuminga that he himself has publicly voiced.
Following their recent win over the Detroit Pistons, Stephen Curry provided support on Kuminga and commented on his situation.
“We all go through our challenges. We all go through our learning lessons. Like I said, he’s not wrong for being upset and frustrated. I heard coach talk about it. He was kind of half-joking but serious about 15 years he was always upset with playing time. That’s a talking point in every locker room in some way, shape or form,” Curry said, per Sports Illustrated.
“There are ways to express it, ways to voice your opinion but protect the team. I’m just proud of the way he—we talked about it before the game. Go out and play. Go hoop. Be a professional. And that’s what he did.”
Few superstars have seen both sides of the spectrum better than Curry. He even acknowledged Kuminga shouldn’t have been taken out the contest in the Warriors’ 130-127 buzzer-beating loss to the defending champion Denver Nuggets on Thursday.
Kerr finally addressed the Jonathan Kuminga matter himself on Friday night, stating “We talked, obviously those things are better discussed behind the scenes anytime something like that goes public. Then, it creates distractions. I think it’s important for all of our guys, and I talked to our whole team about it, if you got an issue I’m here.”
It seems Kerr and Kuminga resolved their issues, because the young forward ended up playing 36 minutes in Friday’s contest against the Pistons, which was the most of any Warriors player. He contributed an efficient 11 points and six rebounds in their 113-109 victory.