Isiah Thomas wonders why Golden State didn’t back Jonathan Cummings to play more

Related questions Jonathan Kuminga’s role in the Golden State Warriors has intensified this week after the Hall of Fame Isiah Thomas it is an open question why the organization’s players were not more vocal in their support for the young striker.

Speaking of the latest episode of FanDuel’s Run It Back, Thomas expressed confusion due to the lack of visible support for Cummings amid fluctuating minutes, injury uncertainty and growing trade speculation.

“I think when you’re the best player — and I can only speak for myself — when you have power, you have to use your power to help your teammates,” Thomas said. “You’ve got to use your power to help the team get better. And that’s the question I think we’re all asking right now. OK, do the players think he can help them win? Because right now the coach is saying this guy can’t help us.”

Thomas suggested that if the players do not agree with Kuminga’s current behaviour, they should be more open.

“Now, if the players are probably all aligned with that, and if they’re not aligned with that, then they have to be vocal in their support for their players,” he said.

Thomas, a former president of the NBA Players Association, framed the situation as a broader issue of player representation.

“I’m always for the players,” Thomas added. “I always stand up for the player and if the player is right and the coach is wrong, I call it out. I’m not one to sit back and be quiet. And you know, when you say we give Kuminga credit for being classy and professional, did being classy and professional hurt his basketball career?”

Isiah Thomas discusses Jonathan Kuminga’s situation with the Warriors

Kuminga’s situation has attracted increasing attention in recent weeks. The 23-year-old striker has seen his role fluctuate, sometimes dropping out of Steve Kerr’s nightly rotation altogether. He’s also been linked to trade rumors as Golden State evaluates its roster flexibility ahead of the deadline.

The uncertainty deepened recently when Kuminga sat out a game in which he was expected to play heavy minutes and was later listed as questionable with lower back soreness. After that competition, Kerr shed some light on the injurysaying that it happened “just before the game” and added that he did not know if it could be delayed. The ambiguity only added to speculation about Kuminga’s position in the organization.

Despite the off-court issues, Golden State continued to play through the regular season. The Warriors improve to 20–18 with 120–113 win over Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night and stay in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race.

Golden State will continue its eight-game homestand Friday night against the Sacramento Kings, who are riding a six-game losing streak. As the Warriors focus on maintaining momentum, Thomas’ comments highlight a growing debate around the league: whether Cummings’ development has been halted not by ability, but by circumstance — and whether stronger internal support could change that trajectory.