Steve Kerr, Steph Curry, Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State Warriors, Kuminga DNP, Steve Kerr comments
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The Golden State Warriors have lost four of their last six games and coach Steve Kerr gave Jonathan Kuminga another DNP as trade rumors grow.
The Golden State Warriors have not looked like title contenders through the first eight weeks of the NBA season.ThoughSteph Curry remainsextremely impactful, as seen byhim recentlybreaking one of MichaelJordan’s scoring records, the Warriors as a wholedon’t feel like a team that would win multiple, or even one, playoff round.
Head coach Steve Kerr has seen GoldenState’s struggles, and most recently, assigned blame for their recent 2-4 run and inability to make any progress in the Western Conference standings.
“I‘m not doing my job well this year,”Kerr told reporters after theteam’s latest loss.
That loss came by five to the Portland Trail Blazers, despiteCurry’s 48 points on 61.5% shooting and breakingJordan’s record for the most 40-point games over the age of 30.Golden Statehas also lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Philadelphia 76ers, and Oklahoma City Thunder in the past 12 days.
Steve Kerr OnWarriors’ Struggles
While the Warriors are not playing particularly well to start the year,they’ve also had one of thetoughest schedulesto begin the year, ranked in the top 10 on most NBA tracking websites.Still, theteam turning the ball over remains their biggest concern.
Despite getting Draymond Green back from a right foot sprain and personal reasons, Golden State committed 18 turnovers against the Blazers, giving up 24 points off those turnovers in the process.
“He’s an incredible player.We’d be in big trouble without him,”Kerr said of getting Green back. “Buthe’s got to have three turnovers instead of eight, it just is what it is. A lot of them, he was just in a rush.He’s got to find a waytojust slow down a little bit, keep the game under control. Because that obviously impacts our defense.”
The Warriors have shown flashes of being a contending team through their first 27 games, but have not been consistent on a nightly basis,something that has been anotherissue for Kerr.
“At some point, we just have to find some consistency and some momentum,”he added. “We’re obviously not there yet.”
While Golden Stateisfourth in defensive rating so far this year, its net andoffense rating have slipped into the middle of the pack. The best runthey’ve had was a three-game win streak, two of which were against the Spurs, but so far,that’s been their highlight by a long shot.
Kuminga Gets Another DNP As He Can NowBe Traded
Injuries and health concerns have been amajor issue for the Bay Area team so far, but even thoughthey’ve been without Curry, Green, and Al Horford for decent stretches. Jonathan Kuminga has been out too, but not with a reported injury.
Kumingahasn’t entered into any of theWarriors’ last three games, as Kerr has given the young forward a DNP (did not play) against the Bulls, Timberwolves, and now Blazers. The coach had previously discussed how he thought Kuminga was in a difficult situation (with his future uncertain being an open secret), and had recently commented on why hehasn’t played the 23-year-old.
Marc Grandi
Steve Kerr on another Jonathan Kuminga DNP: “Right now it’s where things are. You saw Gui come in there for 6 minutes and lit up the crowd with his energy. The ball movement, the was maybe the best stretch of the game for our offense just with the flow.”
“Just right now,it’s where things are,”Kerr said, explaining why hedidn’t play Kuminga after their Minnesota loss. “It’s just where it is right now, but it can change very quickly.”
January 15th is the first day Kuminga can officially be traded after signing his deal to stay in Golden State late in the offseason. While the missed time from other playershasn’t helped theteam’s record so far, Kerr’s choice to leave Kuminga out of the lineups certainly made a positive impact on their play.
“I‘m hoping we can correct that and have a sustained run of games where you know who is out there and you know what the rotations are and guys get comfortable,”Curry said of theWarriors’ inconsistency in the lineup.
The Warriors’ struggles are real, and they’ll likely need to make a chance to become competitive again.