The Golden State Warriors and head coach Steve Kerr are well known for filling their rosters with a wide range of talent.
From Steph Curry to Jonathan Kuminga the list goes on, but one former Warrior isn’t impressed with how Kerr has developed some of their young talent. During a recent episode of the “Run it Back” podcast, DeMarcus Cousins said he doesn’t believe Kerr handles developing young talent well after watching Kuminga’s minutes limited throughout their playoff run.
“I think they lost Kuminga,” Cousins said. “I think Steve Kerr ruined that relationship.”
The former starting center added that Kerr was unable to develop any players other than Jordan Poole, who was traded to the Washington Wizards in July 2023 for Chris Paul.
“We’ve seen this time and time again when it comes to dealing with young talent,” Cousins said. “He just doesn’t handle young talent well. We’ve only seen one guy develop under Steve Kerr, and they ran him off as well, and that was Jordan Poole.”
In Cousins' closing remarks, he said he could see Kuminga leaving the team in free agency once he becomes a restricted free agent this summer. The former player's comments come as Kerr and his coaching staff have dealt with a significant amount of criticism for what they think is failing to develop young talent on the roster.
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who has won four championships with the organization.
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who has won four championships with the organization.
David Gonzales-Imagn Images
Kuminga's minutes were up and down during Golden State's playoff run. After 26 minutes in a Game 2 loss to the Houston Rockets, he only played 24 minutes total in the final five games of the first-round series. But after Curry's injury in Game 1 against Minnesota, Kuminga averaged 31 minutes in the last four games of the Warriors' season.
Kuminga isn’t the only Warrior dealing with rough minute restrictions. Center Quinten Post only received a maximum of 10 minutes during the series against Minnesota, as Kerr chose to rely on veterans such as Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green while Curry was sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Kerr's ability to develop young talent could play a big role in Golden State's ability to remain competitive as it nears the end of the Curry era.