Steve Kerr acknowledges Jonathan Cumminga’s plight

ByNBAUSA



SAN FRANCISCO, California – All Fr Jonathan Kuminga’s situation is complicated. And layered. And hard.

We are at a moment in the saga, a tumultuous and turbulent five-year saga that is very familiar with other contentious moments that have taken both sides on a rollercoaster ride.

Trade rumors are swirling. Kuminga on the outside of the rotation, looking in. The clumsiness of his fitting into combinations Steve Kerr wants to use. Fans psychoanalyze Kumming’s every move and everything around him. All in the middle of the team and the situation that it doesn’t leave much of a runway for anyone to make a decisiongiven the urgency of Stephen Curry and the company’s timeline.

“I can imagine it’s not easy for him,” Kerr admitted after the Warriors’ practice Wednesday night. “We talked about the situation, and my desire is for JK to become the best player he can be, regardless of where he ends up, whether it’s here or elsewhere.

This season, Kuminga is averaging 12.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 43.8%. After opening the season hot and helping the Dubs get off to a strong 4-1 start, things took a turn for the fifth-year forward.

Doc knee tendinitis debilitating much of Kuminga’s illness pace, all of his numbers are down over the last 10 games. Kuminga averages just 8.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists per game, shooting 35.8%. All this while the total score is -53 plus/minus and 26 turnovers in that stretch.

Kerr understands Kuminga’s situation. As a player, Kerr was constantly on the trade block. The sharpshooter known for knocking down 3-pointer after 3-pointer next to Michael Jordan was traded six times during his 17 seasons in the league.

But Kerr also understands the nuanced difficulties of Kuminga’s situation. As a lottery pick for a team with future Hall of Famers still in their competitive years, Kuminga didn’t get the typical environment that most other young high draft picks enter.

He couldn’t make a mistake. He didn’t get the non-essential minutes typical of a tanking team to experiment and find himself. In his rookie season, the Warriors won the title. It is difficult for any rookie to find minutes in a team where almost every game is important. Especially a rookie who many scouts said will be a long-term developmental project.

But the crux of this situation comes down to fit and system. It was a square peg in a round hole. And it has been like that for a long time.

“It’s the combinations, the fit. All those things have been going on for a couple of years. We know that and I’m not going to run away from it. I think it’s pretty obvious,” Kerr said bluntly.

Golden State tried just about everything. And to his credit, Kuminga has been receptive to these efforts this season. He asked Kerr to train him hard and he responded to everything Kerr asked of him.

But whether it’s staggering him next to Curry, bringing him off the bench to lead the second unit, surrounding him with shooters, asking him to play off the ball or asking him to play on the ball, the Warriors have exhausted nearly every viable option with little to show for it. It flickers the most in the pan, which is the result of pushing a square peg into a round hole.

“I feel for him,” Kerr continued. “He’s kind of been at the mercy of my decision-making based on what I want to see from our team.”

So where does that leave Cummings, Kerr and the Warriors?

In the past there were ways back to something resembling harmony.

Last season, when Kuminga fell out of the rotation just before the playoffs, the relationship looked irreparable until Butler went down in Game 2 of the Rockets series. And in the next round, when Curry suffered a hamstring injury, Kuminga became one of the focal points in the Warriors’ attempts to extend the streak long enough for the star guard to return.

But deja vu aside, this current moment is far more urgent than others from the past. With January 15, day Kuminga becomes eligible for tradewith just over a month to go, and the Warriors needing very specific pieces, it’s hard not to feel like his time in Golden State is ticking down.

Of course, circumstances could change. Kuminga could rediscover his modo and return to the lineup. Or the offers dry up and the trade doesn’t make sense from a value standpoint. No matter what happens, Kerr expressed his confidence in Mike Dunleavy Jr. to do whatever he deems necessary as CEO.

“Mike and I are totally in sync,” Kerr said. “He’s great at his job, whatever decisions he makes. He’ll include me in discussions, but it’s not my job either. It’s his decision at the end of the day, and we both respect that.”

For now, both sides remain communicative and cordial with each other. Both Kuminga and Kerr claim to have a good relationship, with open lines of communication with each other.

“It’s part of the league, and I talked to JK about it,” Kerr said. “I’ve really talked to most of our guys; it’s a really weird job that you’re in because you have to commit completely to the team you’re playing for, knowing full well that team can change you or cut you. And that’s really hard to reconcile as a player.”

For now, all Kuminga and Kerr can do is grit their teeth, focus on basketball and ignore the outside noise. At least until the situation comes to a serious end.





2025-12-11 12:52:00

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