Jonathan Kuminga was supposed to be the Warriors’ future. Athletic. Explosive. A two-way threat who could help bridge the gap between eras. But now? He might not even be part of their present. The Warriors benched Kuminga in their final regular-season game—a must-win against the Clippers with playoff seeding on the line. And while they lost the game, what they might have lost in the locker room is harder to measure.
“We’ve just found a group since Jimmy got here that we’re pretty comfortable with,” Steve Kerr said post-game. But comfort is a funny thing in the NBA. It can win you games. Or cost you futures.
The decision to bench Kuminga wasn’t injury-related. He was active. Healthy. Seen warming up pregame. He even stayed after the loss to get shots up. Yet he logged zero minutes—his first DNP-CD (Did Not Play – Coach’s Decision) in months. Kerr called it a tactical move. Said he wanted continuity. Gui Santos was also benched. And while neither player has been a starter, both have had significant moments off the bench.
Kuminga, especially, has averaged 15.3 points and 4.6 rebounds this season. He dropped 34 points and 10 boards against these very Clippers in December. Then came the press conference. Asked whether he’d had conversations with Kuminga about his role going forward, Steve Kerr didn’t answer. He declined to respond. And in the Warriors’ locker room, silence says everything.
The interesting part about all this is what Steph Curry said. He doesn’t often wade into rotation drama. But this time, he did. “Just be ready,” Curry told Kuminga publicly. “You never know when your moment will be there… it wasn’t his time tonight. Against Memphis, it could be a game where he makes his presence felt.”
(This is a developing story …)
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