Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga revealed that head coach Steve Kerr informed him of his benching over text message.
It may sound like a negative at first, but Kerr’s decision appears to be beneficial for the player – who featured in a season-high 28 minutes off the bench against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday.
Kuminga recorded 17 points, three boards and three assists in Golden State‘s 124-106 victory against New Orleans in San Francisco, his most productive outing of the campaign so far.
The 22-year-old started each of the Warriors’ first three games – wins against the Portland Trailblazers and Utah Jazz before falling to defeat against the LA Clippers at the weekend.
Kuminga told ESPN after the game:
“It wasn’t my decision. I got a text, this is how it’s going to go, this is who it’s going to be, and I went with it. What am I supposed to do…ask why am I not starting? This is the decision of the coach, and we will follow what he’s going to do.”
JONATHAN KUMINGA SHOWTIME ‼️ pic.twitter.com/F6lnBRcpLY
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) October 30, 2024
Steve Kerr insists decision to bench Kuminga is about ‘combinations and spacing’
The Warriors head coach explained his decision to move the youngster out of the starting lineup, citing game strategy:
“Without Steph and Wiggs, I didn’t want to start Trayce, Draymond and JK. I wanted a little more spacing. I knew it would be a JK game. I knew he would play a lot.
“He’s played well against this team, the matchups are good for him, so I told him before the game ‘you’re going to play a lot,’ this is just about combinations and getting a bit more spacing on the floor to start.”
Kuminga was selected with the seventh overall pick by the Warriors in the 2021 NBA Draft and he won a championship in his rookie year as Golden State defeated the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals.
He became the second-youngest champion in league history at the age of 19 years and 253 days and looks to have a very bright future in the NBA.
