Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr addressed his decision to bench Jonathan Kuminga on Sunday night against the Chicago Bulls.
The Warriors won 123-91 against the Bulls, though Kuminga did not play a single minute, continuing a saga that dates back to Kuminga’s rookie year in the NBA.
Kuminga and the Warriors reluctantly agreed to continue over the summer after they could not find a suitable trade partner, leading the forward to sign a two-year, $46.8 million deal with a team option in the second season.
Throughout his time with the Warriors, he has not been able to secure consistent playing time (he was out of Kerr’s lineup during Golden State’s last game of the 2024-25 regular season, but was pressed into service thanks to injuries in the playoffs), and Sunday night was another chapter in a familiar story.
Kerr explained his decision not to play Kuminga against the Bulls in the postgame press conference.
"Just because of the way our team looks," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after the game, according to Nick Friedell of The Athletic.
"And Jimmy (Butler) came back tonight, JK started last night, they play the same position. I like the group the last couple of nights, the bench group. Gui (Santos), Pat (Spencer), (De'Anthony Melton) in Philly. We got a lot of bodies. And so with Jimmy coming back tonight, it made sense to play the other guys 'cause they complement him really well."
Golden State’s coaching staff and Kuminga have long butted heads over his inability to adapt his game to the Warriors’ way of doing things, which revolves around selfless ball movement and consistent energy off the ball.
The small forward has long been profiled as an isolation scorer who tends to have the ball stick in his hands a good deal.
Kuminga has made serious strides to mold his game and fit better with the Warriors, but he is still far from the ideal player in the organization’s eyes, as evidenced by their desire to trade him.
Kerr has left the door open for Kuminga to get additional playing time down the line.
"Just got to keep going," Kerr said. "Just like everybody else who's in this position. It happens to everybody pretty much, other than the stars. Guys come in and out of the rotation depending on who's available, how the team's playing.”
Newsweek