Jonathan Kuminga apparently has had enough.
Though Steve Kerr is a four-time NBA Champion coach with the Golden State Warriors, he hasn’t been devoid of criticism, particularly this season, where the team is struggling to keep its head above water with a 17-18 record.
And reportedly, some criticism has emerged from within his own team.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that the big man Kuminga has “lost faith” in Kerr and “no longer believes that Kerr will allow him to reach his full potential.”
Kerr has since responded to the report centered on the morale of his talented young swingman, whom the Warriors drafted at No. 7 overall in 2021.
“I played 15 years and all 15, I was frustrated with my playing time,” Kerr told reporters before the Warriors’ 113-109 win over the woeful Pistons on Friday night at home, in which Kuminga started and led the team in 36 minutes.
“We talked,” Kerr acknowledged. “Obviously, those things are better discussed behind the scenes. Any time something like that goes public, it creates a distraction. … You have an issue, I’m here. I’m the most accessible coach in the league probably. My door is always open.”
Kuminga, in his third year with the Warriors, is averaging a career-best 12.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per contest.
season with the Warriors. Getty Images
The athletic 6-foot-8 combo forward, who had 11 points and six rebounds in the win over Detroit, is playing a personal-high 22.1 minutes per night and has started 13 of his 34 appearances this season, though he seemed primed to have an even bigger impact consistently this season.
Notably, he sat for the final 18 minutes of the Warriors’ loss to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday.
“His normal time to go back in would have been around the five-, six-minute mark,” Kerr said, according to NBC Sports Bay Area. “[Andrew Wiggins] was playing great, we were rolling, we were up 18, 19, whatever it was. So, we just stayed with [the finishing group].
Despite starting, he logged just 19 minutes of game time, including the first six minutes of the third quarter, before being shelved.
Kuminga, who has been seeing an increased role due to Draymond Green’s suspension and Wiggins’ ineffectiveness, is set to make $7.6 million next season, the last of his rookie scale contract.
He is scheduled to hit restricted free agency in 2025.
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